Federal RuleAug 21
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DOL Rewrites Disability Rules for 'Merit-Based Opportunity' Push
RuleLabor DepartmentFederal Contract Compliance Programs OfficeSignificant Wallet
119-hr-8235119th CongressWALLET
Books Save Lives Act
Sponsored By: Representative Pressley, Ayanna [D-MA-7]
Introduced
Summary
Protect access to books by and about underrepresented communities. This bill would require federally supported schools and public libraries to keep diverse collections and to address removals that disproportionately affect those books.
Show full summary
- Families and students: School and public libraries that receive federal assistance would have to maintain diverse collections that include books written by, illustrated by, or about members of underrepresented communities.
- Schools and librarians: A covered school would have to maintain a library staffed by a trained librarian.
- Civil rights and oversight: If excluding covered books has a disparate impact, that exclusion would be prima facie evidence of discrimination under the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act, or the Education Amendments of 1972. The bill would also direct the Comptroller General to begin, within 180 days after enactment, a report on how recent campaigns to ban books affect underrepresented communities.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Protecting diverse books in schools and libraries
If enacted, the bill would require K–12 schools that get federal funds to keep a library with a trained librarian. It would require public libraries that get federal funds and school libraries to keep diverse book collections. Diverse collections must include books written or illustrated by, or about, people from underrepresented communities. The bill would define "covered book", "covered school", and which groups are underrepresented, and it lists examples such as racial or ethnic minorities; LGBTQI+ people; religious minorities; and people with disabilities. The bill would also say that removing books that disproportionately hurt covered books would count as prima facie evidence of discrimination under federal civil‑rights laws.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Pressley, Ayanna [D-MA-7]
MA • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7]
IN • D
Sponsored 4/9/2026
Rep. Clarke, Yvette D. [D-NY-9]
NY • D
Sponsored 4/9/2026
Rep. Evans, Dwight [D-PA-3]
PA • D
Sponsored 4/9/2026
Rep. Frost, Maxwell [D-FL-10]
FL • D
Sponsored 4/9/2026
Rep. Jackson, Jonathan L. [D-IL-1]
IL • D
Sponsored 4/9/2026
Rep. Larsen, Rick [D-WA-2]
WA • D
Sponsored 4/9/2026
Rep. Lee, Summer L. [D-PA-12]
PA • D
Sponsored 4/9/2026
Rep. Moore, Gwen [D-WI-4]
WI • D
Sponsored 4/9/2026
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
Sponsored 4/9/2026
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria [D-NY-14]
NY • D
Sponsored 4/9/2026
Rep. Quigley, Mike [D-IL-5]
IL • D
Sponsored 4/9/2026
Rep. Ramirez, Delia C. [D-IL-3]
IL • D
Sponsored 4/9/2026
Rep. Randall, Emily [D-WA-6]
WA • D
Sponsored 4/9/2026
Rep. Simon, Lateefah [D-CA-12]
CA • D
Sponsored 4/9/2026
Rep. Thompson, Bennie G. [D-MS-2]
MS • D
Sponsored 4/9/2026
Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12]
MI • D
Sponsored 4/9/2026
Rep. Underwood, Lauren [D-IL-14]
IL • D
Sponsored 4/9/2026
Rep. Velázquez, Nydia M. [D-NY-7]
NY • D
Sponsored 4/9/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov