Free Expression Legislation: Action Items Florida Your Florida House Representatives need to hear from you in opposition to three bills that would lead to (even more) book removals: - HB 1119/SB 1692 would prohibit schools from even considering literary and artistic value when deciding whether to ban a book. The number of book bans will skyrocket.
- HB 1071/SB 1090 would impose new anti-DEI restrictions that could blacklist vendors and publishers based on ideology. This will threaten independent bookstores’ vendor relationships with schools in unpredictable ways.
- HB 31/SB 1106 would prohibit schools from acquiring books referencing the West Bank unless they use the less common terms “Judea and Samaria.” Picking a side in contested nomenclature mandates erasure of Palestinian voices in schools and will force the use of ideologically driven instruction materials in schools.
The Florida Freedom to Read Project has action items and information for all these bills on their website. Massachusetts We need to make sure the Massachusetts freedom to read bill doesn’t get stuck! Mass Freedom to Read needs booksellers support to host postcard signings, let coalition members table at the event, and drive outreach in support of the bill. Reach out to [email protected] and we will connect you with local organizers. New Hampshire SB 434, which ABA opposed in a memo to the committee, could have a floor vote on February 19. It is a book ban bill with all the same problems as SB 33 — one person can ban a book for everyone and there is no right of appeal for anyone other than the book challenger. Rumor has it, the Senate is so confident they can pass SB 434, they let SB 33 die in reconciliation. We can’t let that happen, for the sake of young New Hampshire readers. Find your Senator on NH.gov to let them know this bill is not an improvement. Utah HB 197, a let-AI-ban-books bill which was supposed to be heard last week in the House Education Committee, was pulled at the last minute. Now they are again scheduled to hear the bill tomorrow, Thursday, February 12, at 2:00 pm MT. Let Utah Read has information on the bill, how to engage, and how to turn out at the committee meeting. Wisconsin Attention: this bill needs immediate outreach from Wisconsin booksellers and their customers! AB 961 would force distributors and/or publishers to put warning labels on books with “explicit content.” ABA has been working with legislators to help them understand the harm this bill would do to independent booksellers. In an executive session this morning, the committee recommended passage even though they know the bill has problems. They need to hear from you ASAP so you let them know they can protect kids without hurting small businesses. Go to our action center, write to your assembly member, and tell them to oppose AB 961. |
