A resolution expressing concern about the growing problem of book banning, and the proliferation of threats to freedom of expression in the United States.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 443 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 443

 Expressing concern about the growing problem of book banning, and the 
proliferation of threats to freedom of expression in the United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 8, 2025

 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

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing concern about the growing problem of book banning, and the 
proliferation of threats to freedom of expression in the United States.

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 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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