The Senate Education Committee has been holding a hearing this afternoon on HB 205, the House-passed bill to require Idaho public libraries to filter Internet access for adults; the hearing stretched for well over two hours. Numerous questions were raised about the bill, including from librarians and others who said that Idaho libraries already filter Internet access in many cases, but the bill as written would impose unworkable and expensive burdens on how they function. State Librarian Ann Joslin told the committee, "HB 205 imposes a fiscal impact on our public libraries at a time when their usage is going up and in some cases skyrocketing, and their property tax revenues are declining."

The Idaho Library Association had offered to work with the sponsors of the bill in the House to alter it to make it more workable for Idaho libraries, but the group behind the bill, "Citizens for Decency," refused. Senate Education Chairman John Goedde, R-Coeur d'Alene, just adjourned his committee's hearing and said the panel will take the bill up again tomorrow at 2 p.m.