Bill to protect WA libraries passes Senate
By Dan Thesman on Wednesday, January 31st, 2024 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
OLYMPIA – A bill to protect the dissolution of libraries and library districts has cleared the Washington State Senate.
Sen. Sam Hunt (D-Olympia) sponsored Senate Bill 5824 after petitioners in Columbia County put a measure on the ballot last year to dissolve the Dayton Library. That ballot measure was quashed, however, by a Columbia County court.
Hunt explains the bill would require petitioners to collect signatures from 25 percent of eligible voters in the district, rather than just 100 taxpayers. The bill would also allow all qualified voters of a library district to have a say in what happens to their library.
“The Dayton library was on the verge of becoming the first library in the country to shut down because of a dispute over the books inside,” Hunt said. “All of those who could be affected by the closure should have a say in what happens to their shared resource.”
The bill now heads to the House for consideration.
