Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday signed Senate Bill 63, which requires public schools’ libraries to create policies for deciding which books to keep on their shelves and which ones to remove.

Under the new law, public schools can remove a book only if it’s been reviewed under that policy. The new bill was inspired in part by controversial book-removal decisions such as the Elizabeth School District’s recent removal of books deemed “highly sensitive” from its library shelves; the school district has faced a lawsuit and court orders to restore them.

“People rely on our libraries,” Polis said at the signing.

“The public wants some kind of process around how they know that books that should be there are there — and what the process is if there’s a book that shouldn’t be there.”

Only students who attend the school or their parents can request that a school remove a book, according to a nonpartisan summary of the bill. The policies and any requests for a library to remove a book must be considered public records.

“Kei” cars bill gets OK

The state Senate gave final approval Thursday to House Bill 1281, which would allow small cars called “kei vehicles” on Colorado roads (except highways).

The lightweight vehicles are common in Japan, but Colorado’s law has been “gray” on whether they’re allowed here, sponsor Rep. William Lindstedt said. HB-1281 fully clears the way for them.

The bill now heads to Polis, who is expected to sign it, Lindstedt said.

Fight over drug program

The House’s Health and Human Services Committee gave one last kick to a hospital fight that has dragged along for months.

Hospitals have a bill to protect the federal 340B drug discount program from any drug-industry-imposed changes. Pharmaceutical companies oppose that — and they’re backing their own bill that would require more guardrails around how the program can be used.

The two sides’ bills were set for a determinative committee vote Wednesday night. Instead, sponsors of both delayed the vote to allow for more negotiations.

Rep. Kyle Brown, who’s backing the pharma bill, said Thursday morning that he doesn’t yet know when the vote will be. All four possibilities — both bills passing, both bills dying, or one or the other passing — all are still open, he said.