Pritzker Signs Anti-Book Ban Bill

Illinois will be the first state in the nation to outlaw book bans.  Governor Pritzker signed the legislation yesterday in Chicago. The measure will allow the Illinois secretary of state’s office to deny grant funding to public and school libraries that ban books for “partisan or doctrinal” reasons.  The law is in response to a nationwide trend of demanding that books be removed from library shelves, including those with stories by and about People of Color and the LGBTQ community.  The new law will take effect January 1st, 2024.