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Alaska2026Passed Legislature

SB238

Alaska Library Material Access and Protection Act

Last scannedSep 21, 2026, 12:32 AM

In one sentence

This bill gives librarians at schools, museums, and public libraries legal protection against certain criminal charges while setting rules to prevent the removal of books based on disagreement with their ideas.

What it does

  • Allows employees or officials of a school, museum, or public library to use an affirmative defense in court if charged with enticement of a minor, contributing to delinquency of a minor, or distributing indecent material while working.
  • Requires the state director to create model policies for how librarians select books and handle requests to remove them from collections.
  • Prohibits library governing bodies from removing materials based on disagreement with ideas about race, gender, sexuality, religion, or politics.
  • Sets strict legal standards that must be met before a book can be removed due to sexual content, requiring it to appeal to prurient interest and lack serious value.
  • Establishes a formal process for people who have held library cards for six months to request that the library reconsider keeping a specific item.

Who it affects

  • Public libraries in Alaska
  • School libraries in Alaska
  • Museums in Alaska
  • Librarians and other employees of public or school libraries
  • Government entities that provide funding to libraries

Limits and unknowns

  • The official text provided does not include an effective date.
  • The full details regarding school library policies are cut off at the end of the source material, so some specific requirements may be missing from this summary.
  • The law applies only to public and school libraries within Alaska.

Plain language

Terms to know

Affirmative defense
A legal argument where the defendant admits to an act but claims they should not be punished because of a specific reason, such as working for a library.
Curation
The process of selecting and organizing books or other materials for a collection.
Governing body
The group of people, such as a board, that has the authority to make rules and decisions for a library.

Official record

Sources

Validated
Official bill pageIntroduced textCurrent bill text

Official summary

LIBRARY MATERIALS POLICIES; CENSORSHIP An Act relating to access to library material; and relating to affirmative defenses to the offenses of enticement of a minor, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and distribution of indecent material to minors.

Official activity

Bill history

  1. (S) REFERRED TO JUDICIARY2049
  2. (S) FN2: ZERO(LAW)2049
  3. (S) FN1: ZERO(EED)2049
  4. (S) NR: STEVENS, KIEHL2048
  5. (S) AM: TOBIN, YUNDT, BJORKMAN2048
  6. (S) EDC RPT CS 3AM 2NR SAME TITLE2048
  7. (S) Minutes (SEDC)Min
  8. (S) Moved CSSB 238(EDC) Out of CommitteeText
  9. (S) EDUCATION at 03:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)Text
  10. (S) Heard & HeldText
  11. (S) EDUCATION at 03:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)Text
  12. (S) EDC, JUD1643
  13. (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS1643