BATON ROUGE - If a proposed bill passes, any public employee giving public funds to the American Library Association would be subject to up to two years in prison and a $1,000 fine. 

The American Library Association is a non-profit, professional organization that provides accreditation to those studying higher-education for library based studies. Librarians said this accreditation is currently required by most libraries in the Louisiana. Public libraries also can pay to join the association, which holds conventions for librarians and avid-book readers.

House Bill 777, authored by State Rep. Kellee Hennessy Dickerson, R-Denham Springs, would criminalize any public official or employee who gives funds to the organization.

The American Library Association is at the center of a nationwide debate on what books should be allowed in public libraries.

"Libraries are very inclusive. They allow lots of different ideas and perspectives to sit on the shelves in form of books provided. I'm guessing it's just more out of fear than anything else trying to limit access to other viewpoints," a librarian said.

The American Library Association holds a banned book week each year to encourage reading explicit books that deal with political topics to "celebrate the freedom to read."

Michael Lunsford with Citizens for a New Louisiana says these books are located in the children section at public libraries.

"I have a stack of these books and they're all raunchy, cartoon books for children. They're being promoted by the American Library Association. To quote one of our founding father, 'Why would we furnish the means by which we suffer?' It just doesn't make sense why we are paying them to do this to us," Lunsford said.

A librarian at the meeting said children and teens would never go to the library for explicit materials, but Lunsford says that's the point.

He believes these books are placed in the children's section on purpose so that children find them without looking for it.

"They have more access to pornography or sexually explicit material on their phones and probably their first thought when they want to look at something they shouldn't be looking at, is not to go to the library," the librarian said.

Lunsford says Louisiana should not make paying taxpayer money to the American Library Association a priority. He says, if it happens, the likelihood of jail time for this is slim.

"They're taking our taxes by force and they're giving it to non-profit organizations. Why would we do that anywhere? Not just for the American Library Association. So, am I okay with that? Sure. But, will the bill come out of committee or go to the Governor's desk as written? No, they're going to amend it. All of the criminal stuff is probably going to get taken out of there," Lunsford said.

The full text of the bill can be read here.