HARRISBURG, Pa. — A new bill passed by the Pennsylvania State Senate on Tuesday would require parents to opt in their children to access books in school deemed "sexually explicit."
Senate Bill 7 passed in the Republican-controlled State Senate by a 29 to 21 vote.
Most Democrats oppose this new bill and claim it targets books about LGBQTIA+ and marginalized people. It now goes to the Democrat-controlled House, where it faces an uncertain future.
The bill passed after a passionate debate on the Senate floor. Republican state senators say this bill is a "measured approach" to what's becoming a national issue.
SB 7 deemed explicit: “acts of masturbation, sexual intercourse, sexual bestiality or physical contact with a person’s clothed or unclothed genitals, pubic area, buttocks, or, if the person is a female, breast.”
Bill sponsor Republican Sen. Ryan Aument of Lancaster County dismissed the claim that this bill is a book ban and says it does not attack the LGBQT community or censor anyone.
But, Democrats argue this bill will ultimately censor voices and say books available in schools are already vetted by educators.
"It's not a book ban, and I think we've demonstrated that's not the case," said Aument. "In fact, it ensures that material can remain in schools for those children who want to access it."
But state Democrats say they believe SB 7 will make the problem even worse.
"This committee doesn't want to fix those problems, and the Senate doesn't even wanna talk about those problems," said Democratic Sen. Lindsey M. Williams. "The reason is because the goal is not to fully and equitable fund a system of public education. It is to destroy public education."
A separate bill that could impact schools also passed through the State Senate on Tuesday.
SB 340 requires a school to post on its website a link or title from every textbook used, a course syllabus and the state academic standards for each instructional course offered.
This bill was also heavily criticized by Democrats. They say schools already allow parents to review curriculums, and this bill would be an unnecessary burden on districts.
Both bills are opposed by the Pennsylvania State Education Association.