Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley Introduces the Books Save Lives Act

By Mary Bartling | Categories: Banned Books, On Censorship

Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley's Book Saves Lives Act

I
n response to the nationwide rise in book banning, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) has introduced the Books Save Lives Act — a bill that would help ensure an inclusive learning environment and counteract the harm of book bans across the country.

There were over 4,300 instances of book bans between July and December 2023 alone. That’s 1,300 higher than the entire previous school year. These are “the highest levels ever documented,” and they occurred across 23 states and 52 public school districts.[1]

Several states have moved to counter this surge of book bans by enacting laws that prohibit banning books in public libraries within their borders. Illinois was the first to do so, then California and Maryland – with Minnesota following suit this past June. [2]

Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley has taken this corrective trend even further by introducing the Books Save Lives Act. This bill – should it be passed into law would prohibit book bans at the federal level.

For details about the Books Save Lives Act, check out the following press release Congresswoman Pressley issued on December 14, 2023 – and, be sure to also take a look at the full text of the bill.

This Book is Banned_Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, Books Save Lives Act

Pressley Unveils Bill to Confront Rise in Book Bans,
Ensure Inclusive Learning Environments

WASHINGTON – With the rise of book bans nationwide, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) unveiled the Books Save Lives Act to help ensure an inclusive learning environment and counteract the harm of book bans across the country. Rep Pressley unveiled the legislation in a floor speech earlier today, and later convened authors, advocates, and educators at the Library of Congress to discuss the negative impact book bans have on learning environments for vulnerable students.

According to estimates, more than 3,000 books were banned in the 2022-2023 school year, a 33% increase from the previous school year. These bans overwhelmingly target books about race and racism, as well as books with LGBTQ+ characters.

“Rather than honor the brilliance and diversity of our authors, illustrators, and librarians, Republicans are focused on further marginalizing people who already face systemic discrimination in our society – including people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, religious minorities, and people with disabilities – through discriminatory book bans,” said Rep. Pressley. “The Books Save Lives Act pushes back on this dangerous trend and reaffirms the need for representative literature by ensuring libraries nationwide maintain a diverse collection of books and classifying book bans as violations of federal civil rights laws. Every reader deserves to see themselves reflected in our literature – and our bill would help make that a reality for all. I am grateful to our partners in crafting this legislation, and I urge Congress to pass my bill without delay.”

The Books Save Lives Act would counteract the rise in book bans and help ensure an inclusive learning environment for all students. Specifically, the legislation would:

Ensure primary and secondary schools have a library with a trained librarian;
Require public libraries and school libraries to maintain a diverse collection of books;
Classify discriminatory book bans as violations of federal civil rights laws; and
Direct the Government Accountability Office to report on the effect of book bans on underrepresented communities.

The legislation is co-sponsored by Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-07), Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Donald M. Payne, Jr. (NJ-10), Kweisi Mfume (MD-07), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Valerie Foushee (NC-04), Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Summer Lee (PA-12), Glenn Ivey (MD-04), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), Maxine Waters (CA- 43), Alma Adams (NC-12), Barbara Lee (CA-12), Stacey Plaskett (VI), Jahana Hayes (CT-05), Shontel Brown (OH-11), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Danny K. Davis (IL-07), Hank Johnson (GA-04), Marc Veasey (TX-33), Steven Horsford (NV-04), and Lucy McBath (GA- 07).

The legislation is endorsed by We Need Diverse Books, PFLAG National, Florida Freedom to Read Project, Color Of Change, EveryLibrary, National Education Association, and Human Rights Campaign.

“As a student, the library was my second home. I discovered stories that opened up my world and my understanding of myself on the library shelves. I support the Books Save Lives Act because I want future young people to see themselves and their world reflected fully and accurately in their libraries,” said Maia Kobabe, author of Gender Queer.

“As book bans have spread nationwide, they have disproportionately targeted books with BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ characters. 30 percent of recently banned books featured LGBTQIA+ characters or themes while 30 percent featured characters of color or themes on race. This is why We Need Diverse Books established the Books Save Lives initiative in 2022 to directly address the alarming rise of censorship, and this is also why we welcome the introduction of the Books Save Lives Act, sponsored by Congresswoman Pressley. This legislation is critically needed to ensure that school libraries reflect the diversity of our world and to combat the book banning movement that has already removed thousands of diverse titles from school shelves. BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ children are especially vulnerable to self-harm and have some of the highest rates of attempted suicide in the country. When these kids cannot see themselves in the books that they read, they learn the powerful lesson that their stories and their lives don’t matter. We must not only protect the freedom to read, we must also protect the children who need diverse stories the most— because we know that books save lives,” said Caroline Rihmond, We Need Diverse Books.

“Banning books and education is an organized and funded effort that the Books Save Lives Act will put in check. PFLAG National is proud to endorse the Books Save Lives Act because every person deserves the joy that comes when you can find, learn, and be inspired by books about all kinds of topics and people,” said Brian K. Bond, CEO, PFLAG National

“Florida Freedom to Read Project is proud to support this bill which will ensure that the expert curation of our libraries is inclusive of all the communities they serve. All Americans deserve the opportunity to see their lives reflected on the shelf and know that they are welcome here,” said Stephanie Ferrell, Florida Freedom to Read Project.

Earlier this year, during Banned Books Week, Rep. Pressley visited the Turner Free Library in Randolph, Massachusetts to discuss the growing threat of book bans across the country and the need for accessible, representative literature. Rep. Pressley was joined at the roundtable by librarians, educators, and community members from Randolph and Milton. In April 2022 in a House Oversight Committee, Rep. Pressley discussed how banning books in schools harms future generations.

# # #

Find a summary of the bill here.
Footage from the floor speech can be found here.
Roundtable footage is here.
And photos are here.

**See the full text of the Books Save Lives Act below:**

118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION

H. R. 6830

To require certain libraries to maintain a diverse collection of books, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

DECEMBER 14, 2023

Ms. PRESSLEY (for herself, Ms. ADAMS, Mr. BOWMAN, Ms. BROWN, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. DESAULNIER, Mrs. FOUSHEE, Mrs. HAYES, Mr. HORSFORD, Mr. IVEY, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE, Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania, Ms. LEE of California, Mrs. MCBATH, Mr. MFUME, Ms. NORTON, Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ, Ms. OMAR, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. PINGREE, Ms. PLASKETT, Mrs. RAMIREZ, Ms. TLAIB, Mr. VEASEY, Ms. VELÁZQUEZ, and Ms. WATERS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

______________________________________________________

A BILL

To require certain libraries to maintain a diverse collection of books, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the “Books Save Lives Act”.

SEC. 2. ACCESS TO LIBRARIES AND DIVERSE BOOKS.

(a) ACCESS TO SCHOOL LIBRARIES.—A covered school shall maintain a library that is staffed by a trained librarian.

(b) LIBRARY BOOK SELECTION.—Each public library receiving Federal financial assistance and each library of a covered school shall maintain a diverse collection of books, including—

(1) books written or illustrated by an individual who is a member of an underrepresented community; and

(2) books about an underrepresented community.

(c) CIVIL RIGHTS ENFORCEMENT.—Proof that the exclusion of books from a covered school or library receiving Federal financial assistance has had a disparate impact on covered books shall constitute prima facie evidence of discrimination against a protected class in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.), the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.), the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 701 et seq.), or the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. 1651 et seq.), as appropriate.

SEC. 3. REPORT ON BOOK BAN CAMPAIGNS.

Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall begin the creation of a report on the effect that recent campaigns to ban books in public libraries and public schools have had on underrepresented communities.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act:

(1) COVERED BOOK.—The term “covered book” means a book or an item of educational media written by, illustrated by, or about an individual who is a member of an underrepresented community.

(2) COVERED SCHOOL.—The term “covered school” means an elementary school or secondary school that is controlled or directed by a local educational agency receiving Federal financial assistance.

(3) ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY, AND SECONDARY SCHOOL.—The terms “elementary school”, “local educational agency”, and “secondary school” have the meaning given the terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).

(4) UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITY.—The term “underrepresented community” means a group of individuals that share a common identity or characteristic, in cases in which discrimination based on such characteristic is prohibited by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.), the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.), the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 701 et seq.), or the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. 1651 et seq.), including a group of individuals who—

(A) are members of a racial or ethnic minority group;
(B) are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, or nonbinary;
(C) are members of a religious minority group; or
(D) have a disability.

Get involved:
Support your public library.
Contact your state and congressional representatives, advocating for legislation
that ensures diverse collections of books and inclusive learning environments.

We can make a difference in the fight against book banning!