ID House fails to override Gov. Little’s veto of library materials bill, adjourns for the year

Governor tells legislators that bill’s ambiguity would lead to unintended consequences for libraries

By Clark Corbin Idaho Capital Sun

On the final day of the 2023 session April 6, the Idaho House of Representatives narrowly failed to override Gov. Brad Little’s veto of a controversial bill that would have prohibited libraries from providing

“harmful materials” to minors.

Little vetoed House Bill 314 on April 5, writing in a letter to legislators that the bill’s ambiguity would lead to unintended consequences for libraries and their patrons. Little also called out a section of the bill that would have allowed minors, their parents or guardians to sue for $2,500 for a violation of the bill.

“Allowing any parent, regardless of intention, to collect $2,500 in automatic fines creates a library bounty system that will only increase the costs local libraries incur, particularly rural libraries,” Little wrote. “These costs will be