Hamilton proposes legislation to rate books in public schools and libraries

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Warren Hamilton, R-McCurtain, has requested a bill that would establish a system to rate books rather than ban them in public schools and libraries. The system follows the standard movie ratings of G, PG, PG-13, R and NC-17.

The ratings are designed to give parents a better understanding of the materials their children are reading and allow them to provide parental guidance when necessary. Hamilton said the ultimate goal is to protect young children from inappropriate reading material and give parents peace of mind that their kids cannot access adult content in safe spaces like schools and libraries.

“This rating system is simple, effective and already widely known,” Hamilton said. “This would sort books without restricting them and is a way for everyone to be on the same page about what is and isn’t appropriate for kids at different age levels to be reading.”

There are two proposed phases under this measure, with the first being a one-year period to rate the books, followed by moving R and NC-17 rated texts to a restricted area, and only being accessible to people meeting the restriction criteria. The bill would also only allow for G and PG rated books to be in elementary school libraries as those students are under the PG-13 age.

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For more information, contact:

Sen. Warren Hamilton at 405-521-5604, or email Warren.Hamilton@oksenate.gov.