Kane County Reporter

Gov. JB Pritzker has signed off on legislation that prohibits libraries from banning books, making Illinois the first state in the nation to do so. 

"Book bans are about censorship, marginalizing people, marginalizing ideas and facts," Pritzker said in support of the legislation, a recent WLS report said. "Regimes ban books, not democracies."

The law—which was pushed by Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, who also serves as the state's librarian—would cut off government funding to any libraries that remove books currently on their shelves, the report said. The new legislation comes in the wake of several local school districts recently imposing bans against certain controversial books, especially those endorsed by the LBGTQ community that delve into the issues of gender identity. The American Library Association reported 67 attempts to ban books in Illinois in 2022, compared to 41 the year before. 

Under House Bill 2789, it is the policy of the State of Illinois to "encourage and protect the freedom of libraries and library systems to acquire materials without external limitation and to be protected against attempts to ban, remove, or otherwise restrict access to books or other materials." The legislation goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2024.

Proponents of the measure argue that it is grounded in seeking to ensure that all students have access to diverse voices, ideas and their First Amendment rights; WLS reported.

"Parents and only parents have the right and responsibility to restrict their children and only their children's access to library resources," Giannoulias said in the report.

In 2022, the State gave out $62 million in grants to Illinois libraries. Under the guidelines of HB 2789, those libraries that do not follow the standards set forth by the American Library Association regarding the content of their shelves would not be eligible to receive any funding going forward.