After a months-long fight that pitted librarians against conservative family groups, the Illinois House on Wednesday narrowly defeated a bill that would have made it easier to remove offensive materials from bookshelves all over the state.
Conservatives came closer than ever to passing the bill, with a 58-48 majority of members supporting the measure. However, the bill fell two votes short of the 60 required to send it to the Senate for consideration.
Lawmakers who have fought ardently for the “Neighborhood Protection Act” for the past year declined to postpone consideration of the bill, asking instead that the roll call vote be recorded and the measure declared defeated. No matter how hard they work, said sponsor Rep. David Phelps (D-Eldorado), it is highly unlikely that social conservatives would be able to find two more votes of support this spring.
“I really believe we got every ounce of support we could,” Phelps said after the vote, sadly shaking his head as he combed a printed record of how lawmakers voted on the issue. “There were three or four question marks, who wanted to listen to the debate before they made up their minds.”
The Wednesday vote marks the second and final time this year that the House has defeated a bill designed to change the standard by which juries decide if material or performances are obscene.
At present, jurors consider whether such materials would be judged obscene by citizens all over the state; under the defeated proposal, prosecutors would only have had to establish obscenity by the standards of the residents of the local community.
Material judged to be obscene is illegal for distribution under state law.
After the measure went down to defeat in January, in the waning hours of the previous General Assembly, conservative family groups worked actively to promote it. A coalition called the “Neighborhood Protection Strike Force” picketed the offices of many lawmakers who refused to endorse the bill.
When the newly elected assembly convened days later, backers of the bill vowed to resurrect it. They argued that it would be an important tool to help local state’s attorneys remove raunchy material from bookshelves and put an end to lewd performances.
“Do we want to ignore breeding grounds for pedophiles and people who sexually victimize Illinois women and children?” Phelps said. “We don’t want to get rid of movies that are big box-office draws. We are talking about the worst of the worst pornography.”
In other business Wednesday, the House discussed:
Campaign finance: Gaming interests would not be allowed to contribute to political campaigns in Illinois, under a measure that passed late Wednesday. The bill now goes to the Senate, where it is expected to encounter more difficulty.
Private schools The state would offer tax credits to parochial schools, if a measure approved by the House becomes law.
