116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Iowa libraries warn of potential impact of bill to restrict inappropriate material
Supporters of proposed legislation that would allow parents to sue libraries say they merely want to protect children
Feb. 12, 2026 2:48 pm
The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
DES MOINES — Library officials warned Thursday that proposed state legislation would undermine their ability to provide literature and programming, while supporters of the legislation argued it simply would require libraries to ensure no inappropriate materials are available to children.
The proposal would prohibit libraries from distributing “material harmful to minors” to children without parental consent and make any violation a criminal offense.
It also would allow any parent to sue a library the parent believes has violated the bill, and would make library directors, individual employees and library boards liable for alleged violations of the bill.
The proposed bill, House File 2309, was considered during a legislative hearing Thursday at the Iowa Capitol.
“(The proposed legislation) is a regulation in search of a problem,” Iowa Library Association representative Leslie Noble said during the public comment portion of Thursday’s hearing. “Illegal content is already illegal. Libraries do not provide unlawful materials, and existing state and federal laws prohibit the distribution of obscene or illegal content.
“Libraries have established polices and procedures to manage materials, address concerns and respond to challenges. Parents have the ability to guide and supervise their own children’s library use,” Noble said. “This bill replaces local control and professional standards with a rigid, punitive framework that will harm communities across Iowa.”
Supporters of the bill argued that it does not ban books or constrain libraries, that it only ensures children do not have access to material not appropriate for their age.
“Our side insists on straightforward expectation: Iowa’s taxpayer-funded libraries must, above all else, provide a safe and innocent space for children to learn and grow and thrive,” Jeff Pitt, a lobbyist for the Christian conservative Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition, said during the hearing. “For us, the No. 1 priority for a public library should be to provide a secure place where parents don’t have to shield the eyes, ears and minds of their children.”
Among many other measures, the bill also would:
- Eliminate libraries’ educational purposes exemption to the state’s obscene material law as it pertains to children;
- Define in state law myriad terms like “material harmful to minors,” “presumptively harmful material,” “sexual contact,” “restricted access,” “adult section” and more;
- Require libraries to verify that a person attempting to obtain “material harmful to minors” is at least 18 years old or has parental consent;
- Require libraries to review all materials in its possession and classify those materials that are “harmful to minors” and catalog them;
- Prohibit libraries from retaliating against parents who exercise their rights under the bill and
- Allow the Iowa Attorney General to prosecute a case if the local county attorney does not.
Under the bill, library officials who commit a first offense would be guilty of a serious misdemeanor, which in Iowa carries penalties of up to one year in jail and a fine between $500 and $2,500. A second offense would be classified as an aggravated misdemeanor, which in Iowa can draw a sentence of up to two years in jail and a fine between $1,000 and $15,000.
Sam Helmick, president of the American Library Association and community and access services coordinator at the Iowa City Public Library, warned the proposed legislation would turn libraries into “sites of surveillance” and would threaten their financial stability.
“We must realize that the threat to the freedom of a local library is the threat to the freedom of a local soul, a threat to the freedom of each neighbor to choose from all possibilities what is best for themselves and for their families,” said Helmick, who described their background as a 20-year librarian and a Republican.
Two Republicans on a three-member legislative panel, Reps. Charley Thomson of Charles City an Samantha Fett of Carlisle, expressed support for advancing the legislation to the full Iowa House Judiciary Committee. Rep. Megan Srinivas, a Democrat from Des Moines, declined to support advancing the bill.
“Somebody mentioned banning books. This doesn’t ban a single piece of paper. This restricts access to minors and puts the access decision up to the parents, where it should be,” said Thomson, who introduced the legislation and chaired Thursday’s hearing.
House File 2309 is one of many Republican-authored bills addressing libraries that are being considered during this year’s legislative session. Among the others are bills that would prohibit partnerships between libraries and schools, require library checkout records to be released to parents, and require that libraries can allow access to digital services only if they adopt pornography-blocking measures and policies,
Comments: (515) 355-1300, erin.murphy@thegazette.com
Get the latest Iowa politics and government coverage each morning in the On Iowa Politics newsletter.
Daily Newsletters