On National Day of Reading, U.S. Reps. Maxwell Frost and Frederica Wilson joined Jamie Raskin to reintroduce the Fight Book Bans Act, legislation aimed at helping school districts push back against book removals.
The announcement comes amid what lawmakers describe as a sharp rise in school book bans nationwide. Nearly 7,000 books were removed from school shelves in the past year — more than double the number reported in 2023, when the bill was first introduced, according to the lawmakers. Florida accounts for roughly one-third of those bans.
The proposed legislation would allow the United States Department of Education to provide grants of up to $100,000 to school districts to cover legal, logistical and research costs associated with opposing what supporters describe as bad-faith book challenges. Total funding would be capped at $15 million over five years.
Supporters argue that state-level policies have led districts to remove books despite objections from educators and families. They also point to recent federal investigations into book bans, including one in Georgia, examining whether removals created a hostile environment for students.
Titles cited in recent bans across the country include Maus, The Diary of Anne Frank, Shakespeare’s plays, The Life of Rosa Parks, To Kill a Mockingbird and Gender Queer. Lawmakers backing the bill say many of the removed works reflect the experiences of Black, brown and LGBTQ+ communities.
“Book bans in Florida and in states across the nation are a direct attack on our freedoms and liberties everywhere,” Frost said in a statement. “As my home state shamefully leads the country in book bans, we cannot let this censorship and dismantling of our education system go unchecked.”
Frost added that the legislation is intended to support educators and protect access to what he described as truthful and inclusive educational materials.
Wilson, who represents parts of Miami-Dade County, Broward County and Palm Beach County, framed the issue through her experience as a former educator.
“As a former teacher and principal, I have watched a child discover their power in the pages of a book,” Wilson said in a statement. “Yet in Florida, thousands of books by Black, brown, and LGBTQ+ authors are being banned. This is not protection. It is censorship that erases stories, hides history, and limits our children’s imagination.”
Raskin also criticized the rise in removals nationwide.
“Campaigns to remove books from schools and libraries are a hallmark of authoritarian and fascist regimes,” Raskin said in a statement. “I’m proud to join Rep. Frost to reintroduce this bill to provide resources to the freedom-loving teachers, school librarians and school administrators working to keep books on our shelves.”
The Fight Book Bans Act would provide federal support to districts seeking to challenge book bans, with supporters arguing that many school systems lack the financial resources to mount legal defenses on their own.
This is a Hy-Lo News Staff Report.
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