EDITORIAL: Governor vetoed a nasty piece of work

Count this veto as a big win for Idaho and a withering loss to the Idaho Freedom Foundation and its legislative soldiers.

House Bill 314 would not merely have prohibited libraries and schools from promoting or giving out materials nebulously deemed “harmful to minors,” it would have punished the alleged perpetrators.

The bill, passed last week by the House and Senate, contained a keg of dynamite clause that would have allowed a parent or guardian to sue a school or library for $2,500 in statutory damages if their child were to access visual or reading materials that depict nudity, “sexual conduct” or content that is “harmful to minors.” The hit list includes pictures, books, sculptures, films, magazines or sound recordings.

But Gov. Brad Little vetoed the legislation late Wednesday, noting that the bill was ill-fated because of vague language and the financial consequences.

“Allowing any parent, regardless of intention, to collect $2,500 in automatic fines creates a library bounty system,” the governor wrote.

One of the groups pushing hardest for the bill, the Idaho Freedom Foundation, wasn’t happy with Little — but then, IFF has worked relentlessly to undermine the governor for years.

“We are dismayed and outraged that Little would choose to betray children and families like this, choosing instead to give in to the pressure from the special interests that have been all too eager to expose children to harmful materials,” IFF President Wayne Hoffman wrote.

On the other side, Idaho Library Association President Lance McGrath had this to say:

“This bill as law would fundamentally change library services with regard to minors and would imperil our statutory obligation of providing access to information for all the people of Idaho. We are grateful that Governor Little recognized the importance of libraries and their role in promoting intellectual freedom and chose to protect them from this harmful legislation.”

The Press also is grateful that Gov. Little, an unabashed library lover since childhood, saw HB 314 for what it really is: an incursion on parents deciding what’s best for their own children, and yet another attack on public institutions valued by most citizens.

For the record, Kootenai County’s nine legislators all fell in line behind their IFF drill instructors, a disappointing trend that comes to a temporary end with completion of the 2023 legislative session.