The Tennessee House of Representatives approved a bill on April 19 that could make book publishers, distributors, or sellers liable for knowingly sending “obscene materials” to public schools in the state.
Senate Bill 1059, sponsored by Republican state Rep. Susan Lynn and Republican state Sen. Joey Hensley, passed the House in a 71–22 vote, roughly a week after it passed in the Senate.
It now heads to Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s desk to be signed into law.
Under the bill, the “educational justification of a person possessing obscene material” is removed if the individual “is at a school building, bus, school campus, grounds, recreational area, athletic field, or other property owned, used, or operated by a local education agency.”…