# 119-hr-8235: Books Save Lives Act

119-hr-8235, Books Save Lives Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Pressley, Ayanna [D-MA-7] (D-MA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8235
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-8235
- Congress: 119
- Title: Books Save Lives Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-04-09
- Sponsor: Rep. Pressley, Ayanna [D-MA-7] (D-MA)
- Cosponsors: 18
- Policy area: Arts, Culture, Religion
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## 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. - 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.

## Cosponsors (18)

- Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7] (D-IN), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Clarke, Yvette D. [D-NY-9] (D-NY), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Evans, Dwight [D-PA-3] (D-PA), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Frost, Maxwell [D-FL-10] (D-FL), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Jackson, Jonathan L. [D-IL-1] (D-IL), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Larsen, Rick [D-WA-2] (D-WA), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lee, Summer L. [D-PA-12] (D-PA), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moore, Gwen [D-WI-4] (D-WI), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria [D-NY-14] (D-NY), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Quigley, Mike [D-IL-5] (D-IL), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ramirez, Delia C. [D-IL-3] (D-IL), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Randall, Emily [D-WA-6] (D-WA), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Simon, Lateefah [D-CA-12] (D-CA), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Thompson, Bennie G. [D-MS-2] (D-MS), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12] (D-MI), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Underwood, Lauren [D-IL-14] (D-IL), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Velázquez, Nydia M. [D-NY-7] (D-NY), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Protecting diverse books in schools and libraries: benefit, high. 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 abo…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025
- 119-hr-5390: FAMILY Act
- 119-hr-15: Equality Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-8235 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8235)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-51)
- [119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-20)
- [119-hr-5390: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5390)
- [119-hr-15: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-15)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8235 (as of 2026-04-21).