Texas lawmakers early this morning heard public testimony on a Texas book ban bill, Senate Bill 13. The bill was left pending in the House Public Education Committee.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 7, 2025
CONTACT: Emily Witt, [email protected]
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas lawmakers early this morning heard public testimony on Senate Bill 13, which would overhaul how public school library materials are selected and reviewed.
The bill would block the purchase of any material rated “sexually explicit” by library vendors and direct local school boards to create library advisory councils to evaluate new and existing materials. It also requires school districts to provide greater access to library catalogs and opens the way for censorship of books. Final decisions on library content would rest with school boards, not library professionals.
The bill’s provision requiring ratings from vendors is similar to a provision found in a piece of legislation from 2023, House Bill 900. Key provisions in HB 900, specifically those that required book vendors to rate materials, were ultimately blocked by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Texas Freedom Network Political Director Rocío Fierro-Pérez (she/her) issued the following response:
“SB 13 is the latest effort to politicize public education and censor what students can read and learn. Handing over control of school libraries to politically appointed boards and removing decisions from trained librarians opens the door to book bans driven by ideology, not educational value.
“This bill will disproportionately impact books by and about LGBTQIA+ people, people of color, and other underrepresented communities that censorship efforts have long targeted. Texas students deserve access to diverse books and ideas that help them grow, learn, and think critically. Our schools should be places of curiosity and inclusion, not political battlegrounds.”
SB 13, the Texas book ban bill, was left pending in committee at the time of this sending. Public testimony was limited to two hours and began around 1 AM on May 7. Registration to testify or drop cards closed around 12 PM on May 6. If passed out of committee, it will go to the Texas House floor for consideration.
