Photo by Redd Francisco on Unsplash

While many new bills have been introduced to the floor of the Georgia State congress this session, some bills from previous sessions have been resurrected. One such bill is SB74. Introduced by Max Burns (R-23rd District) to the 2025 state congressional session, SB74 seeks to amend Georgia state code so as to remove an exemption on librarians for providing harmful content to minors and make doing so a misdemeanor. Concern has been raised as the bill does not offer a concrete definition of harmful content.

SB74 passed with a vote of 32-23 in early March of 2025, and was introduced to the House floor, where it stayed until this session. Currently, it is being sponsored by Will Wade (R-9th District).

GA Republicans do not want children to read and be educated on diversity and inclusivity. SB74 will limit children's access to books they wish to read. #gapol pic.twitter.com/QRGsx6ErlK

— Carolyn Hugley (@LeaderHugleyGA) April 1, 2025

Georgia Representative and House Minority Leader Carolyn Hugley (D-District 141) posts on Twitter about SB74. Her commentary reflects worries shared by many about the nature of the bill, mainly surrounding the vagueness and open-endedness around what is considered harmful content. Many feel that the bill targets LGBTQ+ individuals and other minorities by allowing room for future legislation to condemn books featuring minority characters.

SB 74 removes Georgia’s longstanding exemption for public and school libraries from the state’s “harmful materials to minors” statute. In its place, the bill imposes criminal liability on librarians and library staff. https://t.co/jaXLTJfFYH

— GA Peace and Justice (@GAPeaceJustice) February 3, 2026

The Georgia Peace and Justice Coalition, an activist group with progressive ideals, posts a link to a substack which interprets the implications of the bill at both a national and state level. The substack highlights concerns about the severity of the punishment for librarians who fail to comply, the function of affirmative defense, and the failure of similar bills on a national scale. The author also points out the extensive review process that library books go through to be put out in the first place, suggesting ulterior motives for the bill’s passage.

Thankful yesterday to testify again for SB 74, a bill that aims to remove public libraries from exemptions regarding laws regulating obscene materials to minors. Glad to have a @GABaptist pastor's wife, mother & former librarian, Amy Leverett testify too! Thx to Sen. Max Burns!🙏 pic.twitter.com/C8vdLuT7Tz

— Public Affairs Ministry (@GaPublicAffairs) February 6, 2026

The Public Affairs Ministry of the Georgia Baptist Convention speaks on twitter about their recent testifying in favor of SB74. The Georgia Baptist Convention does local advocacy work through their Public Affairs Ministry, having supported the passage of the Riley Gaines Act (SB1) last year. Highlighted in this post as well is the testifying of a pastor’s wife and former librarian in favor of the bill, suggesting that some of those who would be directly effected by the law are in support of it.