IV 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 733 
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 27, 2023 
Mr. RASKIN (for himself, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. BONAMICI, Mr. BOWMAN, 
Ms. BROWN, Ms. BROWNLEY, Mrs. CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK, Ms. CHU, 
Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. COSTA, Ms. CROCKETT, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. 
FROST, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. HUFFMAN, Mr. IVEY, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. 
JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. LANDSMAN, Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania, Ms. 
LEE of California, Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ, Mr. LYNCH, Mr. MCGOV-
ERN, Mr. MFUME, Ms. NORTON, Ms. OMAR, Mr. POCAN, Ms. PRESSLEY, 
Ms. SCANLON, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. DAVID SCOTT of 
Georgia, Ms. TLAIB, Mr. TRONE, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mrs. WAT-
SON COLEMAN, and Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the 
Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a pe-
riod to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for con-
sideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee 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 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 
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•HRES 733 IH 
movement, the history and experiences of Native Ameri-
cans, enslaved Africans, immigrants facing discrimina-
tion, and the ongoing effects of racism; 
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 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 has identified nearly 3,400 instances 
of individual books banned, affecting 1,557 unique titles 
from July 2022 through June 2023 alone, representing 
a 33-percent increase in bans compared to the prior year 
of July 2021 through June 2022; 
Whereas of the 2,532 bans in the 2021–2022 school year, 96 
percent of them were enacted without following the best 
practice guidelines for book challenges outlined by the 
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•HRES 733 IH 
American Library Association, the National Coalition 
Against Censorship, and the National Council of Teach-
ers 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; 
(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 sup-
pressed; 
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•HRES 733 IH 
(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, according to PEN America, 36 percent of instances 
of books banned or otherwise restricted in the United 
States from July 2021 to June 2023 have LGBTQ+ 
characters or themes that recognize the equal humanity 
and dignity of all individuals despite differences, includ-
ing— 
(1) ‘‘And Tango Makes Three’’ by Justin Richard-
son and Peter Parnell; and 
(2) ‘‘This Book Is Gay’’ by Juno Dawson; 
Whereas 37 percent of instances of books, both fiction and 
nonfiction, that have been banned or otherwise restricted 
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•HRES 733 IH 
in the United States from July 2021 to June 2023 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; 
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; 
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•HRES 733 IH 
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; and 
Whereas according to PEN America, from July 2022 to June 
2023, States across the country limited access to certain 
books for limited or indefinite periods of time, includ-
ing— 
(1) Florida, where at least 1,406 books in total have 
been banned or otherwise restricted in 33 school districts; 
(2) Texas, where at least 625 books in total have 
been banned or otherwise restricted in 12 school districts; 
(3) Missouri, where at least 333 books in total have 
been banned or otherwise restricted in 14 school districts; 
(4) Utah, where at least 281 books in total have 
been banned or otherwise restricted in 10 school districts; 
(5) Pennsylvania, where at least with 186 books in 
total have been banned or otherwise restricted bans or re-
strictions in 7 school districts; 
(6) South Carolina, where at least with 127 books 
in total have been banned or otherwise restricted bans or 
restrictions in 6 school districts; 
(7) Virginia, where at least 75 books in total have 
been banned or otherwise restricted in 6 school districts; 
(8) North Carolina, where at least with 58 books in 
total have been banned or otherwise restricted bans or re-
strictions in 6 school districts; 
(9) Wisconsin, where at least with 43 books in total 
have been banned or otherwise restricted bans or restric-
tions in 5 school districts; 
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•HRES 733 IH 
(10) Michigan, where at least with 39 books in total 
have been banned or otherwise restricted bans or restric-
tions in 12 school districts; 
(11) North Dakota, where at least with 27 books in 
total have been banned or otherwise restricted bans or re-
strictions in 1 school district; 
(12) Tennessee, where at least 11 books in total 
have been banned or otherwise restricted bans or restric-
tions in 5 school districts; and 
(13) New York, where at least 6 books in total have 
been banned or otherwise restricted bans or restrictions 
in 3 school districts: 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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•HRES 733 IH 
cluding by providing students with the opportunity 
to read a wide array of books reflecting the full 
breadth and diversity of viewpoints and perspectives. 
Æ 
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