| 1 | 1 | | |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW. |
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| 4 | 4 | | [Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law. |
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| 5 | 5 | | *hb0863* |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | HOUSE BILL 863 |
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| 8 | 8 | | F5 5lr2415 |
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| 9 | 9 | | |
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| 10 | 10 | | By: Delegate D. Jones |
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| 11 | 11 | | Introduced and read first time: January 30, 2025 |
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| 12 | 12 | | Assigned to: Ways and Means |
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| 13 | 13 | | |
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| 14 | 14 | | A BILL ENTITLED |
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| 15 | 15 | | |
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| 16 | 16 | | AN ACT concerning 1 |
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| 17 | 17 | | |
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| 18 | 18 | | Libraries – State Policy – Alterations 2 |
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| 19 | 19 | | |
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| 20 | 20 | | FOR the purpose of altering the State standards for libraries and the State policy for local 3 |
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| 21 | 21 | | school systems operating school library media programs to clarify that programming 4 |
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| 22 | 22 | | offered by a library or library media program is among the library services that must 5 |
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| 23 | 23 | | be made available to all persons a library serves; and generally relating to the State 6 |
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| 24 | 24 | | standards for libraries. 7 |
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| 25 | 25 | | |
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| 26 | 26 | | BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 8 |
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| 27 | 27 | | Article – Education 9 |
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| 28 | 28 | | Section 4–142(a) and 23–102.1(b) 10 |
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| 29 | 29 | | Annotated Code of Maryland 11 |
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| 30 | 30 | | (2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 12 |
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| 31 | 31 | | |
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| 32 | 32 | | SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 13 |
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| 33 | 33 | | That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 14 |
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| 34 | 34 | | |
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| 35 | 35 | | Article – Education 15 |
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| 36 | 36 | | |
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| 37 | 37 | | 4–142. 16 |
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| 38 | 38 | | |
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| 39 | 39 | | (a) It is the policy of the State that each local school system operate its school 17 |
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| 40 | 40 | | library media program consistent with the following standards: 18 |
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| 41 | 41 | | |
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| 42 | 42 | | (1) The materials, services, [and] resources, AND PROGRAM MING 19 |
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| 43 | 43 | | provided in a school library media program are provided for the interest, information, and 20 |
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| 44 | 44 | | instructional support of students and school personnel of the schools the program serves; 21 |
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| 45 | 45 | | 2 HOUSE BILL 863 |
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| 46 | 46 | | |
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| 47 | 47 | | |
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| 48 | 48 | | (2) Materials may not be excluded from a school library media program 1 |
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| 49 | 49 | | solely because of the origin, background, or views of the individual who created the 2 |
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| 50 | 50 | | material; and 3 |
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| 51 | 51 | | |
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| 52 | 52 | | (3) Materials may not be excluded or removed from the catalogue of a 4 |
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| 53 | 53 | | school library media program because of partisan, ideological, or religious disapproval. 5 |
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| 54 | 54 | | |
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| 55 | 55 | | 23–102.1. 6 |
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| 56 | 56 | | |
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| 57 | 57 | | (b) It is the policy of the State that each library shall operate in a manner 7 |
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| 58 | 58 | | consistent with the following standards: 8 |
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| 59 | 59 | | |
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| 60 | 60 | | (1) Library materials, services, [and] resources, AND PROGRAMS exist 9 |
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| 61 | 61 | | and should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all persons the 10 |
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| 62 | 62 | | library serves; 11 |
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| 63 | 63 | | |
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| 64 | 64 | | (2) A library should not exclude material from its catalogue because of the 12 |
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| 65 | 65 | | origin, background, or views of a person who created the material; and 13 |
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| 66 | 66 | | |
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| 67 | 67 | | (3) A library should not prohibit or remove material from its catalogue 14 |
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| 68 | 68 | | because of partisan, ideological, or religious disapproval. 15 |
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| 69 | 69 | | |
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| 70 | 70 | | SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 16 |
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| 71 | 71 | | 1, 2025. 17 |
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