[Pages S7038-S7039]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 443--EXPRESSING CONCERN ABOUT THE GROWING PROBLEM OF 
BOOK BANNING, AND THE PROLIFERATION OF THREATS TO FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION 
                          IN THE UNITED STATES

  Mr. SCHATZ (for himself, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Merkley, Ms. Hirono, Mr. 
Padilla, Mr. Reed, Mr. Fetterman, Mr. King, Mr. Markey, Mr. Booker, Mr. 
Durbin, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Welch, Mr. 
Sanders, Mr. Heinrich, Ms. Alsobrooks, and Mr. Murphy) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the 
Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 443

       Whereas the overwhelming majority of voters in the United 
     States oppose book bans;
       Whereas an overwhelming majority of voters in the United 
     States support educators teaching about the civil rights 
     movement, the history and experiences of Native Americans, 
     enslaved Africans, immigrants facing discrimination, and the 
     ongoing effects of racism;
       Whereas an overwhelming majority of Americans are confident 
     that the public schools of their communities select 
     appropriate books for students to read;
       Whereas, in 1969, the Supreme Court of the United States 
     held in Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School 
     District, 393 U.S. 503 (1969), that students do not ``shed 
     their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or 
     expression at the schoolhouse gate'';
       Whereas, in 1982, a plurality of the Supreme Court of the 
     United States wrote in Board of Education, Island Trees Union 
     Free School District No. 26 v. Pico, 457 U.S. 853 (1982), 
     that schools may not remove library books based on ``narrowly 
     partisan or political grounds'', as this kind of censorship 
     will result in ``official suppression of ideas'';
       Whereas the First Amendment to the Constitution of the 
     United States protects freedom of speech and the freedom to 
     read and write;
       Whereas Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human 
     Rights states that ``everyone has the right to freedom of 
     opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold 
     opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart 
     information and ideas through any media and regardless of 
     frontiers'';
       Whereas PEN America has identified 6,870 instances of 
     individual books banned between July 2024 and June 2025;
       Whereas books banned between July 2024 and June 2025 
     include 3,751 unique titles, censoring the works of 2,589 
     authors, illustrators, and translators;
       Whereas the majority of book bans were enacted without 
     following the best practice guidelines for book challenges 
     outlined by the American Library Association, the National 
     Coalition Against Censorship, and the National Council of 
     Teachers of English;
       Whereas the unimpeded exchange of ideas and the freedom to 
     read are essential to a strong democracy;
       Whereas books do not require readers to agree with topics, 
     themes, or viewpoints, but instead allow readers to explore 
     and engage with differing perspectives to form and inform 
     their own views;
       Whereas suppressing the freedom to read and denying access 
     to literature, history, and knowledge are repressive and 
     anti-democratic tactics used by authoritarian regimes against 
     their people;
       Whereas book bans violate the rights of students, families, 
     residents, and citizens based on the political, ideological, 
     and cultural preferences of the specific individuals or 
     groups imposing the bans;
       Whereas book bans have multifaceted, harmful consequences 
     on--
       (1) students, who have a right to access a diverse range of 
     stories and perspectives, especially students from 
     historically marginalized backgrounds whose communities are 
     often targeted by thought control measures;
       (2) educators and librarians, who are operating in some 
     States in an increasingly punitive and surveillance-oriented 
     environment and experience a chilling effect in their work;
       (3) authors whose works are targeted and suppressed;
       (4) parents who want their children to attend public 
     schools that remain open to curiosity, discovery, and the 
     freedom to read; and
       (5) community members who want free access to a range of 
     uncensored information and knowledge from their public 
     libraries;
       Whereas classic and award-winning literature and books that 
     have been part of school curricula for decades have been 
     challenged, removed from libraries pending review, or 
     outright banned from schools, including--
       (1) ``Brave New World'' by Aldous Huxley;
       (2) ``The Handmaid's Tale'' by Margaret Atwood;
       (3) ``Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation'' adapted 
     by Ari Folman;
       (4) ``Their Eyes Were Watching God'' by Zora Neal Hurston; 
     and
       (5) ``To Kill a Mockingbird'' by Harper Lee;
       Whereas books, particularly those written by and about 
     outsiders, newcomers, and individuals from marginalized 
     backgrounds, are facing a heightened risk of being banned;
       Whereas, according to PEN America, a disproportionate 
     number of books banned or otherwise restricted in the United 
     States have LGBTQ+ characters or themes that recognize the 
     equal humanity and dignity of all individuals despite 
     differences, including--
       (1) ``And Tango Makes Three'' by Justin Richardson and 
     Peter Parnell; and
       (2) ``This Book Is Gay'' by Juno Dawson;
       Whereas many books, both fiction and nonfiction, that have 
     been targeted for bans or restrictions in the United States 
     are books about race or racism, or that feature characters of 
     color, including--
       (1) ``The Story of Ruby Bridges'' by Robert Coles and 
     illustrated by George Ford;
       (2) ``Letter from Birmingham Jail'' by Martin Luther King 
     Jr.;
       (3) ``Thank You, Jackie Robinson'' by Barbara Cohen;
       (4) ``Malala: A Hero For All'' by Shana Corey;
       (5) ``Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story'' by Kevin 
     Noble Maillard;
       (6) ``Hair Love'' by Matthew A. Cherry;
       (7) ``Good Trouble: Lessons From the Civil Rights 
     Playbook'' by Christopher Noxon; and
       (8) ``We Are All Born Free: The Universal Declaration of 
     Human Rights in Pictures'' by Amnesty International;
       Whereas the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund has reported a 
     dramatic surge in challenges at libraries and schools to the 
     inclusion of graphic novels that depict the diversity of 
     civic life in the United States and the painful and complex 
     history of racism, homophobia, Anti-Asian bias, and 
     antisemitism embedded in the human experience, including--
       (1) ``New Kid'' by Jerry Craft;
       (2) ``Maus'' by Art Spiegelman;
       (3) ``American Born Chinese'' by Gene Luen Yang; and
       (4) ``Drama'' by Raina Telgemeier;
       Whereas books addressing death, grief, mental illness, and 
     suicide are targeted alongside nonfiction books that discuss 
     feelings and emotions written for teenage and young adult 
     audiences that frequently confront these topics;
       Whereas, during congressional hearings on April 7, 2022, 
     May 19, 2022, and September 12, 2023, students, parents, 
     teachers, librarians, and school administrators testified to 
     the chilling and fear-spreading effects that book bans have 
     on education and the school environment;
       Whereas, since 2021, State legislation censoring certain 
     content within schools and libraries has been enacted across 
     the country, resulting in nearly 23,000 book bans;
       Whereas an increasing amount of book censorship goes 
     unreported and may be higher than is currently reported due 
     to mass removals implementing vaguely-written State 
     legislation and a lack of transparency about district-based 
     removals;
       Whereas, according to PEN America, from July 2024 to June 
     2025, 23 States across the country limited access to certain 
     books for limited or indefinite periods of time, including--
       (1) Florida, where at least 2,304 books have been banned or 
     restricted in 33 school districts;
       (2) Texas, where at least 1,781 books have been banned or 
     restricted in 7 school districts;
       (3) Tennessee, where at least 1,622 books have been banned 
     or restricted in 8 school districts;
       (4) Idaho, where at least 150 books have been banned or 
     restricted in 1 school district; and
       (5) Iowa, where at least 113 books have been banned or 
     restricted in 4 school districts;
       Whereas the President of the United States has repeatedly 
     expressed support for the censorship of certain subjects such 
     as gender, sexuality, and race through public statements and 
     executive orders;
       Whereas, following executive orders, Department of Defense 
     Education Activity (referred to in this preamble as 
     ``DoDEA'') schools removed books related to diversity, 
     equity, and inclusion, ``gender ideology'', and anything that 
     would suggest ``that America's founding documents are racist 
     or sexist'', resulting in the censorship of classroom 
     instruction and student activities, as well as the removal of 
     at least 596 books in DoDEA schools;
       Whereas, following the same executive orders, the 
     Department of Defense directed all military academies to 
     identify and remove books from their libraries that include 
     themes related to race, ``gender ideology'', and other 
     ``divisive concepts'' that the Administration considers 
     ``incompatible with the department's core mission'', which 
     led to the temporary removal of nearly 400 books

[[Page S7039]]

     from the Nimitz Library of the United States Naval Academy, 
     including ``I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings'' by Maya 
     Angelou;
       Whereas at least 20 books remain suspended from the shelves 
     of the United States Naval Academy;
       Whereas grants administered by the National Endowment for 
     the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and 
     other Federal agencies have been terminated or revoked for 
     using language related to race, gender, and LGBTQ+ identity 
     or addressing social inequality; and
       Whereas the Office of Civil Rights of the Department of 
     Education has claimed book bans are a ``hoax,'' ended 
     investigations of alleged discrimination related to book 
     banning, and fired the staff person in charge of addressing 
     the book banning crisis: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) expresses concern about the spreading problem of book 
     banning and the proliferating threats to freedom of 
     expression in the United States;
       (2) reaffirms the commitment of the United States to 
     supporting the freedom of expression of writers that is 
     protected under the First Amendment to the Constitution and 
     the freedom of all individuals in the United States to read 
     books without government censorship;
       (3) calls on local governments and school districts to 
     follow best practice guidelines when addressing challenges to 
     books;
       (4) calls on local governments and school districts to 
     protect the rights of students to learn and the ability of 
     educators and librarians to teach, including by providing 
     students with the opportunity to read a wide array of books 
     reflecting the full breadth and diversity of viewpoints and 
     perspectives;
       (5) calls for the return of all books removed from 
     Department of Defense schools and libraries under executive 
     orders since January 2025; and
       (6) calls for the repeal of executive orders and rescission 
     of directives that have enacted content-based and viewpoint-
     based restrictions on the freedom to read and learn in United 
     States public schools and libraries.

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