The Senate on Wednesday approved a bill that would allow local governments that appoint library commissioners to remove them.

The bill, SB10, passed on a 26-7 vote along party lines. The bill, now before the House, is a significant step forward in the Republican agenda to regulate the types of books allowed in libraries, particularly LGBTQ+ books.

The bill's sponsor, Republican Sen. Chris Elliott, said the bill simply aims to give individuals “local control.”

But Elliott reportedly told Yellowhammer News that this was also to block an agenda that “doesn't represent the values” of Alabamians.

“These types of message boards are populated by people who don't represent the values ​​of the people of Alabama,” Elliott said. “Our mayors, city council members, county commissioners, and those people should have the power to remove members of the board who advance this agenda that is inconsistent with what voters want.”

Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton (D-Greensboro) warned that the bill is clearly about book censorship, not Nazi Germany or apartheid South Africa.

Singleton proposed a bill that would require library boards to submit an annual report detailing the board's membership and “actions taken by the board regarding the review or deletion of collections over the past 12 months.” Added amendment. The report is expected to be submitted to the governor, the speaker of the House, and the president pro tempore of the senate by Dec. 31.

Another amendment by Republican Sen. Clyde Chambliss would say library commissioners could only be removed by a two-thirds vote of the appointing authority.

Initially, the bill only specified that a simple majority was required to remove a director.