Your Voice Helped Protect Our Library

House Bill 10 Has Failed. Here's What It Means for Teton County.

You most likely have heard the great news! House Bill 10 (HB10), a bill that would have imposed sweeping new restrictions on materials in Wyoming's public and school libraries, has failed to advance in the 2026 Wyoming Legislature.

What Happened to HB 10?

After HB 10 passed the Wyoming House and cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee on a narrow 3–2 vote, it ran out of time on the Senate floor. The bill did not receive a full Senate vote before the deadline for bills to advance through the Committee of the Whole.

When Senator Troy McKeown moved to reconsider the bill on March 4, 2026, the Senate voted 18–13 against the motion, and the bill died at the end of the session.

In the weeks leading up to the vote, many Wyoming residents spoke up in support of the freedom to read and the public’s right to access information. Community members shared their voices about why libraries matter in their lives and in their communities.

We are deeply grateful to the many Teton County residents who wrote letters and emails, made phone calls, or showed up to engage in the civic process and speak up for the role libraries play in supporting learning, curiosity, and access to ideas. Thank you for your belief in the power of libraries.

A Note from Library Director Kip Roberson

“The failure of HB10 is a reminder that Wyoming communities trust their local libraries to serve readers thoughtfully and responsibly. Libraries already operate under existing laws and established policies that allow families to guide their own reading choices while preserving access to information for everyone. By choosing not to move forward with this bill, lawmakers affirmed the importance of intellectual freedom and allowed libraries to continue focusing on what matters most: connecting people with knowledge, ideas, and stories that strengthen our communities.”

— Kip Roberson, Library Director, Teton County Library

What Was House Bill 10?

House Bill 10, formally titled “Sexually Explicit Materials in Libraries–Requirements”, was a bill introduced into the Wyoming Legislature that sought to restrict access to certain books in Wyoming’s public and school libraries. Under the bill, materials broadly defined as “sexually explicit” would have been required to be relocated from children’s and young adult sections to the adult section of the library.

The bill also proposed a formal challenge process that would allow county residents to flag books they believed met that definition, and it created pathways for lawsuits and financial penalties against libraries that did not comply. Critics, including the Wyoming Library Association, noted that the bill’s definitions were so broad that they could have swept in works of classic literature and health education materials. 

Why Was This a Concern for Libraries?

Anytime books are limited or restricted, libraries take notice. The freedom to read is fundamental to intellectual growth and personal development. Nobody should be told what they can and cannot read.

Libraries are a place where you can grow your knowledge, find books on subjects where you may not have a mentor or teacher to turn to, and explore worlds far beyond your own. They’re a place where a breadth of ideas, even challenging ones, live freely alongside everyday titles.

Wyoming’s librarians already operate under laws and locally developed policies that allow families to guide their children’s reading while keeping the broader collection available to everyone. What concerned librarians most about HB 10 was not the goal of protecting children, which everyone shares, but rather the bill’s blunt approach, which could have resulted in First Amendment violations, increased litigation, and the unintended removal of health, educational, and literary resources from young people who need them most.

What Can We Do in the Future?

Because bills and similar issues will most likely return in future sessions, it’s important to stay engaged, both at the local and federal level. During each legislative session, keep an eye on bills that could affect public institutions like libraries. Federal Book Ban Bill (H.R. 7661), which was recently introduced, is now moving forward into Committee and needs your attention.

These proposals have direct effects on the community resources and freedoms. To stay informed about local legislation being introduced, check:

https://www.wyoleg.gov/Legislation

And when you see a bill that requires speaking out, writing to your representatives is one of the most direct lines you have to make your voice heard.

If you’re unsure who represents you, you can find your legislators by entering your county at:

https://www.wyoleg.gov/Legislators/2026/S

Protecting our libraries is one of the most powerful things you can do in our community. ‍ ‍