If the Pennsylvania Senate passes a bill requiring warning labels on albums, tapes and compact discs containing questionable lyrics, record store employees violating the directive could be jailed for 90 days and fined up to $300.

Rep. Ron Gamble (D-Allegheny County) introduced a bill in June which questions record albums with "explicit lyrics descriptive of or advocating suicide, incest, bestiality, sado-masochism, adultery, violent sexual activity, murder or illegal use of drugs or alcohol." Any record album fitting this definition would require fluorescent yellow warning labels on their front covers.

The bill has since been approved in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and has gone to the Senate judiciary committee for concurrence. State legislatures throughout the country are also considering similar action.

Since the bill's introduction, some music industry figures have feared such a measure while others view it as a helpful aid.

Bruce Shamma, owner of Blue Train Compact Disc, expressed concern over the proposed bill and its relation to censorship.

"It's totally ridiculous. The whole thing is dictated by a small sanctimonious group that is trying to arbitrate morality," Shamma said.

"It starts with this and it'll soon spill over into literature and the other arts," he said.

Nina Klein, manager of National Record Mart, said the bill is not really censorship, but rather a form of guidance to help parents.

"Parents have the responsibility to the guidance of their children and I see this as an aid to the parent," Klein explained.

"There's a difference between labeling records and totally banning them. What they're doing is simply rating records -- like they rate movies," she said.

Many record companies have been labeling records with "parental advisory" stickers. This informs the buyers and helps record stores monitor their records, A & M Records representative Scott Guy said.

"It's our duty to let people know what's on a record. And that's all we're doing. We still give our artists' complete freedom to get their message across," he said.

A & M does not have many groups that need labeling, Guy said, but bands such as Soundgarden have warning stickers that alert parents to the lyrical content. The labeling also lets record stores know that those records may not be suitable to play during store hours, he said.

Shamma said he feels the record companies are more concerned with avoiding boycotts and picketing by "a small group of vocal opposition" than assisting the consumer.

"It's scary that a minority of people can get away with this just because they are more vocal," Shamma said.

Josh Ferko, manager of Arboria Books and Records, said he feels the labeling of records would not be effective in preventing people from obtaining desired material.

Bands such as 2 Live Crew and NWA have been labeled but their sales have remained strong, Shamma said.

However, buying a copy of 2 Live Crew's album at some stores, such as National Record Mart, is a bit more difficult. The album is kept behind the counter as a precaution and can only be bought by an adult with proper identification, Klein said.