Arkansas Bill Would Mandate Filters
in Schools and Libraries
A bill filed January 14 in the Arkansas House of Representatives would compel schools and public libraries to install filters on public-access Internet terminals to prevent people from accessing “sexually explicit or inappropriate” Web sites, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported January 15.
Rep. Henry “Hank” Wilkins IV, who filed the bill, said he thinks the legislation would be constitutional, adding that he would find it acceptable if the filters block out material that isn't inappropriate. “I would rather be too restrictive than pose a threat to the emotional, mental, or moral health of our children,” said Wilkins, who is pastor of St. James United Methodist Church in Pine Bluff.
Rita Sklar, director of the Arkansas chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas, told the newspaper the organization will be watching the bill closely.
A policy requiring filters on all Internet terminals at the Loudoun County (Va.) Library was ruled unconstitutional November 23.
Posted January 18, 1999.
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