Fight for Pennsylvanians the Right to Read

Lawmakers, Parents, Students, Teachers, Librarians, and Advocates gathered in Harrisburg to discuss the concerning rise in censorship and book bans across the Commonwealth. Senator Amanda M. Cappelletti (D-Montgomery/Delaware) and Representative Paul Friel (D-Chester) promoted two legislative solutions.

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Senator Cappelletti has introduced Senate Bill 926, prohibiting book bans in Pennsylvania’s libraries. The bill will bar school libraries and classrooms from removing books for any political, racial, or ideological reasons. It will set the standard that in order to receive state money, a public library must adopt the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights that indicates materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval or develop a written statement that prohibits the library from banning books or other materials. The bill will also prevent municipalities from cutting funding to local libraries if they adopt this policy.

“The discourse on the rise of book bans also distracts us from what our mission as a Commonwealth needs to be: we must build up our community resources, make knowledge more accessible, and provide the public with places to indulge their curiosities and challenge their perspectives,” said Senator Cappelletti.