AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Texas law meant to keep some books out of public school libraries is once again set to take effect.
The law, House Bill 900, targets books with content deemed “sexually explicit.”
The law was supposed to go into effect this month, but a lower court judge ruled it unconstitutionally vague and said it couldn’t be enforced criminally or civilly.
However, an appeals court overturned that ruling this week. The decision is temporary until the full court can take up the case, which will likely be next month.
An Austin bookstore, BookPeople, along with the Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston and other national organizations sued over the law.
They say the law requires vendors to rate the books they sell to school libraries. Books found on school shelves without a rating would be removed.
Texas Representative Jared Patterson, R-Frisco, posted on social media that HB 900 is “back on the ‘books’ and moving forward.”
Patterson said in the post, “there are a series of steps before the law is in full force, including mandatory library standards for public school libraries and recalls of past explicit books sold to school districts.”
Patterson wrote on his website he “was ranked as the #1 conservative in the Texas House based on a comprehensive review of voting records” after the 88th Legislative Session.