As Florida Leads Nation in Book Bans, Congressman Maxwell Frost Introduces Bill to Fight Bans and Support Educators
Watch the Press Conference Here
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost (FL-10), joined by Congresswoman Frederica Wilson (FL-24) and Congressman Jamie Raskin (MD-08), introduced the Fight Book Bans Act, legislation aimed at taking a stand against censorship by giving school districts the funding they need to oppose challenges to educational and library materials that has kept over 3,000 books off school bookshelves in the last year.
Frost, who stood alongside Members of Congress from Texas who are fighting off similar attacks on education, as well as leaders from PEN America, the Interfaith Alliance, and Color of Change, underscored that intimidating state laws have forced school districts across the nation to pull thousands of important books from classrooms and libraries, whether districts want to or not, and without regard for the wishes of most parents and students.
The Fight Book Bans Act, which already has the support of 50 members of Congress, would enable the Department of Education to provide grants to school districts to cover expenses they might have incurred while they are fighting off a bad book ban, including the cost of retaining legal representation, the cost of traveling to hearings on the bans, and the logistics for those hearings, as well as the cost of obtaining expert research and advice while trying to fight off a book ban. The legislation would address the problem facing thousands of school districts that cannot fight book bans because the costs incurred are beyond their budgets. The Department of Ed would be able to provide up to $100,000 for a school district with the total appropriations capped at $15 million over five years.
“Book bans in Florida and in states across the nation are a direct attack on our freedoms and liberties everywhere. As my home state shamefully leads the country in book bans, we cannot let this censorship and dismantling of our education system go unchecked,” said Congressman Maxwell Frost. “What we are seeing in Florida and states like Texas, Utah, and Missouri are loud and clear attempts by far-right conservative leaders to silence and erase our Black, brown, Hispanic, and LGBTQ+ communities. The Fight Book Bans Act takes a stand against censorship to firmly stand on the side of history, education, our students, teachers, and schools who don’t deserve to suffer the consequences of radical politics in the classroom. This is about protecting our libraries and protecting truth and history.”
“America is in the middle of an escalating book ban crisis that requires our full attention and a strong response,” said Congressman Jamie Raskin. “Sinister campaigns to remove books from our schools and libraries are a hallmark of authoritarian and fascist regimes. Many books are being targeted for censorship these days simply because they address the historical realities of racism and white supremacy or address LGBTQ+ issues. I’m proud to join Rep. Frost to introduce this critical legislation, which will provide much-needed resources to the freedom-loving teachers, school librarians and school administrators working to keep books on our shelves.”
“Book bans stain the integrity of our educational institutions, contradicting the very principles of freedom our nation upholds. In Florida alone, over 1,000 books have been banned, disproportionately targeting works by Black or LGBTQI+ authors. As a former teacher and principal, I can only imagine the struggle current school teachers and librarians must be facing when trying to educate our children in light of attempts by our state to shove right-wing propaganda down our children’s throats,” said Congresswoman Frederica Wilson. “If true freedom is to prevail in Florida and beyond, we must eradicate the censorship imposed by book bans. That’s why I’m proud to join Congressman Maxwell Frost to fight back against authoritarian tactics to ban books by empowering our schools to challenge autocratic book bans. This fight transcends politics; it’s about the future of our nation and whether we stand with censorship or champion freedom. I for one, will always champion freedom.”
“Banning books in schools is not only unpopular; it’s expensive. As school districts around the country divert resources to address widespread efforts to curtail students’ freedom to read, it is once again students who ultimately suffer the most. PEN America thanks Congressman Frost, Congressman Raskin, and Congresswoman Wilson for their leadership in introducing the Fight Book Bans Act, which will help school districts as they work to get school library books back on the shelves,” said Laura Schroeder, Congressional Affairs Lead at PEN America.
“Banning books in public schools is a dangerous infringement on students’ First Amendment right to access information,” said Jenna Leventoff, Senior Policy Counsel, American Civil Liberties Union. “Robust and diverse school libraries are critical to ensuring that all students, regardless of their family’s income, education, race, or geographic location, have free and open access to the vast world of information each book contains. We thank Rep. Frost for working to ensure that schools have the resources they need to fight censorship and preserve the freedom to read.”
“Access to diverse books and critical ideas are vital to the nation’s history as a multicultural democracy,” said Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League. “The Fight Book Bans Act would help school districts fight back against book ban attempts and defend diversity in literature for students. We thank Congressman Frost for his leadership on this issue.”
“Christian nationalists have launched a coordinated campaign to censor our classrooms, demonize teachers, and erase diverse perspectives – all in the name of their extreme religious views,” said Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, president and CEO of Interfaith Alliance. “People of faith across the country hold the freedoms of religion and expression to be sacred and will not tolerate the abuse of faith to justify discrimination and censorship. With the Fight Book Bans Act, Representatives Frost, Raskin, and Wilson are taking a strong stand to protect American schools from censorship and create healthy learning environments for our teachers and children. We are grateful for their leadership.”
“The Fight Book Bans Act is a step towards protecting our nation’s history. Our elected officials owe the children of their state the best education possible. A great education is an inclusive, truthful and well-rounded one that does not exclude Black, hispanic, religious or LGTBQ+ books and courses due to bigotry. LGBTQ communities and young students benefit greatly from the freedom to explore their identities and others through literature,” says Brandon Tucker, Senior Policy Director of Federal Policy, Color Of Change. “By supporting the Fight Book Bans Act, we can ensure that everyone has the opportunity to access materials that promote acceptance, understanding, and personal growth.”
“Book bans are an affront to students’ rights. We deserve to make decisions regarding our education, not politicians who seek to undermine our liberty to learn,” said Cameron Samuels, Executive Director of Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT). “Censorship dictates our understanding of history and what is acceptable, reinforcing an unjust status quo and impacting our futures. Our nation's youngest generation must maintain the freedom to explore our curiosities, follow our passions, and discover ourselves through the lens of literature. Book bans won’t help students succeed, but empowering students and facilitating constructive collaboration between families and educators will cultivate the future our youth deserve.”
The Fight Books Bans Act has been endorsed by PEN America, ACLU National, American Library Association, Interfaith Alliance, The Trevor Project, Catholics for Choice, Color of Change, National Urban League, UnidosUS, Equality Florida, Florida Freedom to Read Project, Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT), and NAACP DC.
The legislation has been cosponsored by Reps. Adams (NC-12), Aguilar (CA-33), Bera (CA-06), Blumenauer (OR-03), Bowman (NY-16), Brown (OH-11), Carson (IN-07), Casar (TX-35), Casten (IL-06), Castor (FL-14), Castro (TX-20), Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Clarke (NY-09), Crockett (TX-30), Frankel (FL-22), Garcia (CA-42), Goldman (NY-10), Horsford (NV-04), Ivey (MD-04), Jackson Lee (TX-18), Jacobs (CA-51), Johnson (GA-04), Khanna (CA-17), Lee (CA-12), Lee (PA-12), Moskowitz (FL-23), Norton (DC), Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Payne, Jr. (NJ-10), Peters (CA-50), Pettersen (CO-7), Pocan (WI-02), Porter (CA-47), Pressley (MA-07), Ramirez (IL-03), Schakowsky (IL-9), Sewell (AL-07), Soto (FL-9), Stansbury (NM-01), Takano (CA-39), Thanedar (MI-13), Titus (NV-01), Tlaib (MI-12), Tokuda (HI-02), Velázquez (NY-07), Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Williams (GA-05).
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