IV 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 1499 
Expressing concern about the spreading problem of book banning and the 
proliferation of threats to freedom of expression in the United States. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 24, 2024 
Mr. RASKIN (for himself, Mr. ALLRED, Mrs. BEATTY, Ms. BONAMICI, Ms. 
BROWNLEY, Ms. BROWN, Mr. CASE, Mr. CASTEN, Mr. CASTRO of Texas, 
Mrs. CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK, Ms. CHU, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. COSTA, Mr. 
DOGGETT, Ms. ESCOBAR, Mrs. FLETCHER, Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Flor-
ida, Mrs. HAYES, Mr. FROST, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. HUFFMAN, Mr. IVEY, 
Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania, Ms. LEE of Cali-
fornia, Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ, Mr. LIEU, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. MENG, 
Ms. NORTON, Mr. PETERS, Ms. PINGREE, Mr. POCAN, Ms. PORTER, Mrs. 
RAMIREZ, Mr. RUIZ, Ms. SALINAS, Ms. SCANLON, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. 
DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. SOTO, Mr. THANEDAR, Ms. TLAIB, and 
Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia) submitted the following resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addi-
tion to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently 
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provi-
sions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing concern about the spreading problem of book 
banning and the proliferation of threats to freedom of 
expression in the United States. 
Whereas the overwhelming majority of adults in the United 
States oppose book bans; 
Whereas an overwhelming majority of adults in the United 
States support educators teaching about the civil rights 
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movement, the history and experiences of Native Ameri-
cans, enslaved Africans, immigrants facing discrimina-
tion, and the ongoing effects of racism; 
Whereas an overwhelming majority of adults are confident 
that their community’s public schools 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 ‘‘in a 
narrowly partisan or political manner’’, 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 free-
dom 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 identified over 10,000 instances of in-
dividual books banned between July 2023 and June 
2024, which is over double the instances of recorded book 
bans in public schools between July 2022 and June 2023 
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when PEN America counted nearly 3,400 instances of in-
dividual books banned; 
Whereas PEN America identified 5,894 instances of books 
banned between July 2021 and June 2023, affecting 
2,823 unique titles and censoring the works of 2,598 au-
thors, illustrators, and translators; 
Whereas the overwhelming majority of recent book bans were 
enacted without following the best practice guidelines for 
book challenges outlined by the American Library Asso-
ciation, the National Coalition Against Censorship, and 
the National Council of Teachers of English; 
Whereas the unimpeded sharing 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 in-
form their own views; 
Whereas suppressing the freedom to read and denying access 
to literature, history, and knowledge are repressive and 
antidemocratic 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 impos-
ing 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 com-
munities are often targeted by thought control measures; 
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(2) educators and librarians, who are operating in 
some States in an increasingly punitive and surveillance- 
oriented environment and are experiencing a chilling ef-
fect in their work; 
(3) authors whose works are targeted and sup-
pressed; 
(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 out-
siders, newcomers, and individuals from marginalized 
backgrounds, are facing a heightened risk of being 
banned; 
Whereas a substantial number of the instances 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 dif-
ferences, including— 
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(1) ‘‘And Tango Makes Three’’ by Justin Richard-
son and Peter Parnell; and 
(2) ‘‘This Book Is Gay’’ by Juno Dawson; 
Whereas a significant proportion of the instances of books, 
both fiction and nonfiction, that have been banned or 
otherwise restricted in the United States are books about 
race, racism, or 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 Lu-
ther 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 Declara-
tion of Human Rights in Pictures’’; 
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 the human experience, including— 
(1) ‘‘New Kid’’ by Jerry Craft; 
(2) ‘‘Drama’’ by Raina Telgemeier; 
(3) ‘‘American Born Chinese’’ by Gene Luen Yang; 
and 
(4) ‘‘Maus’’ by Art Spiegelman; 
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Whereas books addressing death, grief, mental illness, and 
suicide are targeted alongside nonfiction books that dis-
cuss 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, September 12, 2023, and October 19, 
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; and 
Whereas, according to PEN America, from July 2021 to 
June 2023, over 40 States across the country limited ac-
cess to certain books for limited or indefinite periods of 
time, including— 
(1) Florida, where at least 1,972 books in total have 
been banned or restricted in 37 school districts; 
(2) Texas, where at least 1,426 books in total have 
been banned or restricted in 28 school districts; 
(3) Pennsylvania, where at least 644 books in total 
have been banned or restricted in 16 school districts; 
(4) Missouri, where at least 360 books in total have 
been banned or restricted in 16 school districts; 
(5) Tennessee, where at least 360 books in total 
have been banned or restricted in 9 school districts; 
(6) Utah, where at least 293 books in total have 
been banned or restricted in 10 school districts; 
(7) South Carolina, where at least 128 books in total 
have been banned or restricted in 7 school districts; 
(8) Virginia, where at least 94 books in total have 
been banned or restricted in at least 6 school districts; 
(9) Michigan, where at least 80 books in total have 
been banned or restricted in at least 6 school districts; 
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(10) North Carolina, where at least 74 books in 
total have been banned or restricted in at least 5 school 
districts; 
(11) Wisconsin, where at least 72 books in total 
have been banned or restricted in at least 12 school dis-
tricts; 
(12) Idaho where at least 51 books in total have 
been banned or restricted in at least 1 school district; 
and 
(13) Oklahoma, where at least 45 books in total 
have been banned or restricted in at least 3 school dis-
tricts: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) expresses concern about the spreading prob-
lem 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 individ-
uals in the United States to read books without gov-
ernment censorship; 
(3) calls on local governments and school dis-
tricts to follow best practice guidelines when ad-
dressing challenges to books; and 
(4) calls on local governments and school dis-
tricts to protect the rights of students to learn and 
the ability of educators and librarians to teach, in-
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