Kendall County Times

On June 12, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed off on legislation that bans libraries from banning books, making Illinois the first state in the country to do so.

"Book bans are about censorship, marginalizing people, marginalizing ideas and facts. Regimes ban books, not democracies," Pritzker said.

Pen America reported the 2022-2023 academic year saw significant book bans. It added that 70% of parents oppose book banning.

According to ABC7 the law was pushed by Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, who also serves as the state's librarian. The law would cut off funding to any library that removes books currently on the shelf. The law comes in the wake of school districts across the nation under pressure to ban what some see as controversial books, particularly some that include LBGTQ content.

With the American Library Association reporting there were 67 attempts to ban books in Illinois in 2022, compared to just 41 the year before, House Bill 2789 declares it to be the policy of Illinois to "encourage and protect the freedom of libraries and library systems to acquire materials without external limitation and to be protected against attempts to ban, remove, or otherwise restrict access to books or other materials."

In 2022, the state gave out $62 million in grants to libraries across Illinois and under the guidelines of HB 2789, libraries that don't adhere to the standards set by the American Library Association on the issue would not be eligible for any money.