“Obscene Materials to Minors Act” will be heard in the Assembly Education Committee on June 6

The Senate has been afraid to publicly hear this bill as the statewide opposition is known throughout the legislature. But this Thursday, June 6 at 11AM, Assembly bill 3446, the so-called “Freedom to Read Act” is scheduled for a committee hearing. If the majority of the committee members vote in favor of the bill, it will move forward for the entire Assembly to vote on it. We can not let this happen! 

Section 13 of Assembly bill 3446 amends the New Jersey Code of Criminal Justice, 2C:34-3 – Obscenity for persons under 18. If this bill becomes law, teachers, librarians, teaching staff members, and library staff will be exemptfrom the current state law prohibiting adults from knowingly showing, exhibiting, and promoting obscene materials to children.

The current state law defines obscene materials as “human genitals in a state of sexual stimulation or arousal; or any act of human masturbation, sexual intercourse or deviate sexual intercourse; or fondling or other erotic touching of covered or uncovered human genitals, pubic region, buttock or female breast.”

If the Bill sponsors are successful in passing this bill, it will still be illegal in New Jersey for adults to give children obscene materials – except for teachers and librarians. They will be given a protective status to violate the current state obscenity law that protects children from being exposed to images and videos of sexual activity, sexual stimulation, arousal, masturbation, sexual intercourse, and erotic touching.

You stopped it in the Senate! Now, stop it in the Assembly!

Contact the Assembly Education Committee members below and tell them to VOTE NO on A3446. The New Jersey Legislature should not support sexual and obscene material being distributed to minors.