GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2001
S	1
SENATE BILL 1032

 
 
Short Title:	Minors' Internet Access.	()	
Sponsors:	Senators Lee;  Garrou, Harris, and Reeves.	
Referred to:	Judiciary II.	
April 5, 2001

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT rEQUIRING PUBLIC LIBrARIES AND SCHOOlS TO implement policies TO protect minors from obscene material or material harmful to minors through use of the internet.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  Chapter 125 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:
"§ 125-25. Protection of minors from certain material on the Internet.
(a)	Policy and Procedures. – On or before January 1, 2002, the governing board of each public library shall adopt a policy regarding minors' access to the Internet. At a minimum, the policy shall contain provisions that seek to prevent access by minors to obscene material and material that is harmful to minors and establish appropriate measures to be taken against persons who violate the policy. The policy shall include measures to require that each public library (i) make available to individuals of any age one or more computers protected from receiving obscene material or material that is harmful to minors and (ii) reserve for individuals 18 years of age or older, or minors who are accompanied by their parent or guardian, one or more computers that are not restricted from receiving any material. With respect to protected computers, each public library shall do one or both of the following:
(1)	Equip each computer with software that will limit minors' ability to gain access to obscene materials or material harmful to minors.
(2)	Purchase Internet connectivity from an Internet service provider that provides filter services to limit access to obscene materials or material harmful to minors.
(b)	Notice and Compliance. – Each governing board shall make the policy available to all members of the public at each library branch and shall report annually to the Department of Cultural Resources on its efforts to implement the provisions set out in subsection (a) of this section."
SECTION 2.  Chapter 115C of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:
"§ 115C-102.9.  Protection of minors from certain material on the Internet.
(a)	Policy and Procedures. – On or before January 1, 2002, the Department of Public Instruction shall adopt a policy regarding minors' access to the Internet. At a minimum, the policy shall contain provisions that seek to prevent access by minors to obscene material and material that is harmful to minors and establish appropriate measures to be taken against persons who violate the policy. The policy shall include either or both of the following features:
(1)	Equipping the computers with software that will limit minors' ability to gain access to obscene materials or material harmful to minors.
(2)	Purchasing Internet connectivity from an Internet service provider that provides filter services to limit access to obscene materials or material harmful to minors.
(b)	Implementation and Compliance. – The Department shall make the policy available to all the local education agencies that shall be responsible for implementing the policy. Each local education agency shall report annually to the Department on its efforts to implement the provisions set out in subsection (a) of this section.
(c)	Technical Assistance. – The Department of Public Instruction shall provide technical assistance to any public school to aid the school in evaluating available and developing technologies that may be used to comply with the provisions of this section."
SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law.