NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – The topic of obscene materials in school was the focus of a lengthy discussion on Capitol Hill in Nashville Wednesday. A new bill would make it illegal for educators to present obscene books or pornography to children, under the guise of being educational.

The measure (HB 1944) was introduced after the McMinn County School Board removed the graphic novel, Maus, from its curriculum.

The discussion brought out country music star, John Rich, one half of the duo Big & Rich, to the podium to express his thoughts on the issue. The musician behind hits like “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)” spoke out in support of the bill.

“What’s the difference between a teacher, educator, or librarian putting one of these books like you have on the desk of a student or a guy in a white van pulling up at the edge of school when school lets out and saying ‘come on around kids let me read you this book and show you these pictures.’ What’s the difference in those two scenarios? There is a difference, by the way: they can run away from the guy in the white van,” said Rich.

In January, the McMinn County School District board voted to remove Maus, a Pulitzer prize-winning book on the Holocaust, from its curriculum. The board said the 8th-grade book is not age-appropriate because of “inappropriate language” and an illustration of a nude woman.

All 10 members of the school board voted in favor of removing and replacing the book with a different story of the Holocaust.

The bill was rolled onto next week due to time constraints Wednesday.