{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases/as-nationwide-book-bans-top-10000-schatz-raskin-introduce-bicameral-resolution-condemning-book-bans", "As Nationwide Book Bans Top 10,000, Schatz, Raskin Introduce Bicameral Resolution Condemning Book Bans", "2024-09-25", "2024", "2024-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "HI", "Brian Schatz", "S001194", "www.schatz.senate.gov", "schatz", "https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai\u2018i) and U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) introduced a resolution condemning an escalating censorship crisis that has removed and targeted thousands of books from the shelves of schools, libraries and universities across the country.\n\nThe bicameral resolution, coinciding with Banned Books Week, reinforces congressional recognition of students\u2019 First Amendment rights and affirms that the freedom to read is essential to a strong democracy. In the 2023-2024 school year alone, PEN America documented over 10,000 instances of individual books being banned, nearly triple the previous academic year. Many bans have removed books from public shelves with characteristics that would be targeted by Project 2025, which additionally proposes labeling teachers and librarians who distribute such books as sex offenders.\n\n\u201cAny attempt to ban books because someone has an ideological disagreement or doesn\u2019t believe in capturing the full scope of history is un-American,\u201d said Senator Schatz. \u201cFreedom of expression is a founding principle of our country, and it's up to all of us to stand up against these attacks on this fundamental right.\u201d\n\n\u201cBy filling our libraries with a diversity of stories, we help our students understand new perspectives rather than suppressing their freedom to think, read and write independently,\u201d said Representative Raskin. \u201cWe must close this chapter of censorship and, rather than continuing to take a page from the world\u2019s dictators and autocrats, turn our attention to the resources students need to succeed. I am grateful to Senator Schatz for his partnership on this resolution.\u201d\n\nAccording to findings from PEN America and the American Library Association, targeted books include classics like To Kill A Mockingbird, 1984, and The Handmaid\u2019s Tale. Books are also more likely to be removed if they feature content related to the LGBTQIA+ experience, race or racial injustice or stories about grief and abuse.\n\n\u201cWe thank Representative Raskin and Senator Schatz for their continued commitment to academic freedom and the First Amendment. The movement to ban books is an affront to public education and students\u2019 ability to understand the world,\u201d said PEN America\u2019s Congressional Affairs Lead, Laura Schroeder. \u201cThe targeted bans intentionally seek to silence the experiences of authors of color, LGBTQI+ authors and stories that explore the themes of racism, trauma, religion, gender identity and sexual identity. Students are being deprived of stories that can help them deal with real lived experiences such as trauma and violence. This must end.\u201d\n\n\u201cLibraries defend every American\u2019s freedom to read \u2013 a freedom that is increasingly under threat \u2013 even though many librarians face criticism and threats to their livelihood and safety,\u201d said Cindy Hohl, president of the American Library Association. \u201cThis Banned Books Week, we\u2019re proud to have Congressional leaders standing with us and with communities that are fighting back to protect their libraries and schools from the censors.\u201d\n\nThe resolution is endorsed by the American Library Association (ALA), Banned Books Week Coalition, EveryLibrary, Interfaith Alliance, JCRC of Greater Washington, Jewish Community Relations Council of Broward County (Florida), Jewish Community Relations Council of Portland, Jewish Council for Public Affairs, National Book Foundation, National Coalition Against Censorship, National Council of Jewish Women, National Council of Teachers of English, National Education Association, National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund, PEN America, PFLAG National, Red Wine and Blue Education Fund, The Sikh Coalition, Jewish Community Relations Council for Tucson & Southern Arizona, and Urban Libraries Council (ULC).\n\nIn addition to Schatz, the Senate resolution is cosponsored by U.S. Senators John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Angus King (I-Maine), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.).\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:43:57Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases/as-nationwide-book-bans-top-10000-schatz-raskin-introduce-bicameral-resolution-condemning-book-bans"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8747191168367863, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}