Illinois Takes Stand Against Book Bans with Landmark Legislation

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed a historic bill that would ban libraries from banning books, making it the first of its kind in the nation. The law would cut off funding to any libraries that remove books currently on the shelf. The law was pushed by Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, who is also the state's librarian, and is a response to the backlash in many local school districts against controversial books, particularly some championed by the LBGTQ+ community. The law goes into effect on January 1, 2024.