Ayanna Pressley Introduces Bill to Counter Nationwide Book Bans

The Books Save Lives Act aims to classify book bans as a federal civil rights violation and ensure diverse book collections in schools and libraries.

U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley has introduced the Books Save Lives Act, a bill aimed at stopping censorship and book bans in schools and libraries.
The bill focuses on ensuring that public and school libraries receiving federal financial assistance maintain a diverse collection of books, representing and including voices from underrepresented communities.
The legislation calls for the Government Accountability Office to study the impact of book bans on underrepresented communities, aiming to provide data to inform future policies and actions.
The bill classifies book bans as a federal civil rights violation and requires schools and libraries to include book collections from diverse authors and topics.
During the 2022-2023 school year, more than 3,000 books were banned — a staggering 33 percent increase from the previous year, according to PEN America’s report.