Relating to the standards for a school district's library collection development policies; providing a civil penalty.
HB 4198 requires Texas school districts to update their library collection policies every five years to prohibit certain materials, including harmful content (per Penal Code), sexually explicit material rated by vendors, and content containing indecent or profane material. The bill mandates that policies must recognize parents as primary decision-makers for student library access, require transparency in cataloging, and prevent removal of materials based solely on ideas or author background. School districts that fail to comply face a civil penalty. This applies directly to all public school districts managing library collections, including classroom and online resources.
Bill status
in committee
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2025
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Mar 31, 2025
Last action Mar 31, 2025
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
3
Key actions
0
Committee
1
Mar 31, 2025
Committee
Referred to Public Education
lower
Mar 31, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
1 primary · 33 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Keresa Richardson
RRepublican
Co
A.J. Louderback
RRepublican
Co
Alan Schoolcraft
RRepublican
Co
Andy Hopper
RRepublican
Co
Brent Money
RRepublican
Co
Briscoe Cain
RRepublican
Co
Carrie Isaac
RRepublican
Co
Cody Harris
RRepublican
Co
Cody Vasut
RRepublican
Co
Daniel Alders
RRepublican
Co
David Lowe
RRepublican
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