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119-sres-920119th Congress

A resolution expressing concern about the growing problem of book banning, and the proliferation of threats to freedom of expression in the United States.

Sponsored By: Senator Schatz, Brian [D-HI]

Introduced

Summary

Protecting the freedom to read. This resolution would designate a national Banned Books Week and push back against rising book bans by urging schools, libraries, and federal agencies to restore broad access to books and diverse viewpoints.

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  • Families and students: It would designate October 4–10, 2026 as "Banned Books Week" to spotlight cases where more than 10,000 instances of book bans affected over 6,000 unique titles and more than 3,000 authors between July 2025 and June 2026.
  • Educators and libraries: It urges local governments and school districts to follow best-practice guidelines for handling book challenges and to protect educators' ability to teach a wide array of books that reflect diverse perspectives.
  • Federal policy and institutions: It calls for repeal of executive orders and rescission of directives that led to content-based restrictions, noting actions like the removal of at least 596 books from the Department of Defense Education Activity and the temporary removal of nearly 400 volumes from the U.S. Naval Academy library.

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Bill Overview

No Economic Impacts Identified for this Bill

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Schatz, Brian [D-HI]

HI • D

Cosponsors

  • Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA]

    CA • D

    Sponsored 9/29/2026

  • Sen. Reed, Jack [D-RI]

    RI • D

    Sponsored 9/29/2026

  • Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD]

    MD • D

    Sponsored 9/29/2026

  • Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT]

    VT • I

    Sponsored 9/29/2026

  • Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR]

    OR • D

    Sponsored 9/29/2026

  • Sen. King, Angus S., Jr. [I-ME]

    ME • I

    Sponsored 9/29/2026

  • Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR]

    OR • D

    Sponsored 9/29/2026

  • Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI]

    HI • D

    Sponsored 9/29/2026

  • Sen. Alsobrooks, Angela D. [D-MD]

    MD • D

    Sponsored 9/29/2026

  • Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]

    IL • D

    Sponsored 9/29/2026

  • Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT]

    CT • D

    Sponsored 9/29/2026

  • Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]

    NJ • D

    Sponsored 9/29/2026

  • Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]

    CT • D

    Sponsored 9/29/2026

  • Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA]

    MA • D

    Sponsored 9/29/2026

  • Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI]

    RI • D

    Sponsored 9/29/2026

  • Sen. Warnock, Raphael G. [D-GA]

    GA • D

    Sponsored 9/29/2026

  • Sen. Fetterman, John [D-PA]

    PA • D

    Sponsored 9/29/2026

  • Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM]

    NM • D

    Sponsored 9/29/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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