Filtering Bill Blocked in Illinois—
for the Sixth Time
A statewide filtering bill that would have mandated the installation of blocking software on every public-library computer that is accessible to minors died in the Illinois General Assembly’s House Computer Technology Committee. The December 3 defeat of HB 1215 marks the sixth time that Illinois legislators have rejected a filtering mandate in recent years.
As with previous anti-filtering campaigns, the Illinois Library Association pulled together free-speech advocates from a broad spectrum to fight the bill’s passage. ILA’s latest effort included the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, Planned Parenthood, the Illinois Press Association, and the City of Chicago. ILA Executive Director Robert P. Doyle credits Chicago Public Library Commissioner Mary Dempsey with alerting the library community to the bill’s impending movement out of committee, which triggered the anti-filtering testimony of ILA President Sylvia Murphy and executive board member Kathryn Harris.
“Our success is a great example of team work,” Doyle said in a prepared statement, adding, “We need public officials to appreciate the library community’s concern, expertise, and professionalism regarding these issues.”
Posted December 9, 2002.
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