Michigan legislators sent the governor a bill May 4 that requires minors to conduct their publicly funded Web surfing on either a computer with filtering software or in the presence of a guardian. Only machines at institutions of higher education are exempted.
Characterizing libraries as victims of “hardcore pornographers and sexual predators” as much as children are, bill sponsor Sen. Mike Rogers (R-Brighton) stated that his legislation merely mandates librarians to “apply the same standards to Internet access that they apply to printed material they provide [to patrons].”
A week earlier, Colorado lawmakers made the shielding of public, school, and academic library users under 18 from “obscene or illegal material” a condition of eligibility for receiving part of $2 million in acquisitions grants. Libraries can either offer filtered service or establish an age-sensitive Internet policy. Last year, Gov. Bill Owens vetoed a similar appropriation because it did not make restricted Internet service for minors a condition of funding.
Legislation that would have required public libraries in Florida to have filtering software on at least half of their public-access computers was passed by the Senate May 3—only to have it die later that same day in the House.
Posted May 15, 2000.