(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s obscenity law doesn’t apply to public libraries and educational institutions.
A subcommittee in the Iowa House has approved a bill to repeal that exemption. During a hearing at the Capitol, a supporter of the repeal threw books on the table as a critic of the bill testified. Keenan Crow of the L-G-B-T-Q advocacy group One Iowa, says there’s nothing in libraries that would meet the legal definition of obscene and the bill would allow people to file frivolous lawsuits. Iowa’s obscenity law doesn’t apply to public libraries and educational institutions.
Chris Campbell of Ames says taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to pay for one of the books he saw in his public library. Campbell say if someone wants to read that kind of a book, they’re free to buy it themselves.
