Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
The Books Save Lives Act requires public libraries receiving federal funding and school libraries to maintain diverse book collections that include works written or illustrated by authors from underrepresented communities and books about such communities. The bill defines underrepresented communities to include racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ individuals, religious minorities, and people with disabilities. It also mandates that schools maintain libraries staffed by trained librarians and establishes that the exclusion of books by or about underrepresented communities can constitute discrimination under existing civil rights laws. Additionally, the bill requires the Comptroller General to submit a report within 180 days of enactment examining how recent book ban campaigns in public libraries and schools have affected underrepresented communities. The legislation applies to schools and libraries that receive any federal financial assistance.
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