Proposed Ordinance to Remove Books is Withdrawn from Assembly Agenda

After public pushback ahead of this week’s Assembly meeting, Mat-Su Borough District 1 Assemblymember Michael Bowles withdrew his proposed ordinance that would further regulate library materials. The ordinance would have removed any materials from the five Borough libraries that contain any sexual activity, including those in the adult section and even those available through interlibrary loans.

Multiple residents against the ordinance spoke about an overreach of government and noted that guardrails are already in place to protect children from certain materials. 

The State’s statute prohibiting distribution of indecent materials to minors, the Borough’s challenged materials policy, and the Borough’s program for parents to view material checkouts are all established frameworks that provide protections for minors. 

According to Community Development Director Jillian Morrissey in a previous interview, as of October, any parent can know what materials their child is checking out of the library. To date, two families have signed up for that program. 

At their meeting this week, the Assembly voted to sunset the Library Citizens’ Advisory Committee, a group that reviews challenged library materials. The ordinance dissolving the Committee shifts that task to the Library Board, who also reviews all incoming library materials. 

Bowles notes in the Assembly meeting that he recognizes the existing guardrails in place and that he would work to educate the public about those options moving forward.