Transcripts For CSPAN3 Illinois 20240703

This meeting of the Senate Judiciary committee will come to order. We will be talking book bans, how censorship limits literature will come to order. The city of chicago band a book known as the Wonderful Wizard of oz from all of its public libraries. Local leaders claimed that the book would have an ungodly influence on his readers. We now consider the Wonderful World pardon me. The wonderful was a vase to be in the words of congress a timeless american classic. Unfortunately, there was a long history in the country of banning books that are now considered classic literature. This video, which im about to show you, will indicate this is not the first time that the Senate Judiciary committee has considered the negative influence of books. Please start the video. If you want to know the cause of all this, heres it. These rotten comic books. Cut them out and these things will not happen. Panda reasonable doubt and without any consideration these books are an important contributing factor to many cases of juvenile delinquency. A Tennessee School board has and the critically acclaimed graphic novel maus. The school board claimed they banned the graphic novel because of from profanity and nudity. We could still see so those images. They say it is nudity. They say that is a bad word. They are saying that the history makes us uncomfortable and we do not want our kids exposed to these things. This process is unnecessary. We are professionals in our classrooms and we know what is best for our students. The kids here are asking me, can i go get a book and read. I have to say no because i have not had a chance to go through all of them to write them all down to send off to somebody that is going to tell me that they can or cannot read the books in the 1850s, uncle toms camera cabin a classic antislavery novel was banned in the United States. Then Congress Passed the comstock act which made it up to five years in prison for any person who sold or distributed a book that was quote obscene, lewd, or lascivious. The law did not define the terms and hundreds of americans were convicted for selling books with topics such as atheism or reproductive health. In 1954 they examined the threat that comic books like superman post two children. The anticomics panic culminated in the comics code which censored comic books for decades. That may seem absurd today but extremist continue to find popular graphic novels like maus and other books. In 2022 there was over 1000 request to ban books at Public Schools and libraries, the most in almost 20 years. Here are a few of the books that have been banned or restricted in the past few years. I know why the caged bird sings, the handmaids tale, narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, a raisin in the sun, brave new world, and beloved. These are books that were written by some of the greatest american authors including trailblazing black women like toni morrison. It even works written by Martin Luther king jr. Were bands temporarily in a further to limit access to books about race or racism all in the name of prohibiting material supposedly related to critical race theory. Lets be clear, efforts to ban books are wrong whether they come from the right or the left. When we ban books like maus or to kill a mockingbird we deny these students the opportunity to learn about different people and difficult subjects. Limiting access to books about and mice antisemitism or racism does not eliminate these from reality. Politicians have targeted books that include lgbtq plus characters and themes. Nobody is advocating for sexually explicit content to be available in an Elementary School library or children section of the library. That is a distraction from the real challenge. I understand that parents may choose to limit what their children read especially at younger ages. I definitely did. Others do as well. No parents should have the right to tell another parents child what they can or cannot read at school or home. They deserve access to books that share their experiences and help them understand who they are. I want to commend the senator who said last year i do not feel banning ageappropriate and subject appropriate books for children they need to hear differing views. I agree with him. Unfortunately, librarians and teachers across the country that are just doing their jobs under threat of violence and prosecution by a small group of zealots. These efforts to ban books violate our most cherished will resources. I will hand it off to chairman grant. If you are a parent out there listening to this hearing, i would encourage you to advocate for your child. I would encourage you to go to the School District, library, wherever you believe is appropriate on behalf of your child. You have an obligation as a parent to lend your voice to the content you think help your child develop in the right way. About this, what is our role here . What am i supposed to do . Am i supposed to take over every school board in the country and veto their decisions about what books going Public Schools . In the library, i spent i have not spent a lot of time in the library and that speaks poorly to me but am i supposed to take over the libraries and be the final say of what goes in a library . I hope not. I think not. This is an important hearing in this regard. It shows the difference of the two parties on this issue. School boards whether elected or appointed in our system should be the people we go to to talk about what is in a school. A Library Board should be the group of people that decide what goes in a library. If you do not like the outcome, at least you can complain. To all the parents out there who believe there is a bunch of stuff in the schools being pushed on your children that go over the line, you are absolutely right. To governors and to local officials, i want to make sure that agendas are not being pushed upon your children, your right to speak up. In burbank, california, a School District banned Huckleberry Finn, to kill a mockingbird, i dont agree with that but that was your right to make that decision. What i want to leave with you, mr. Chairman, is that on the side, to a person i understand what the senator is saying but he will speak for himself in a minute. I do not think there is one person on our side of the aisle that believes we, the federal government should be deciding these issues. If you do not like the outcome, pick a school board you do like. It is wrong for conservatives to try to pick school board members. It is okay for every liberal organization to destroy conservatives to make decisions they do not like. We are not going to be intimidated. To governors out there, i look to you for leadership on sup such issues. To parents, do not give an inch on this. Speak up. Violence is never the answer, but show up and speak up. A lot of the times the books that are being complained about by parents you cannot even read in the public hearing. I will not read it today. Somebody needs to understand that it is a big issue for many parents in this country and, mr. Chairman, this committee has done a lot of good work on social media form. I like your work on immigration. We can have our differences but to me this is what we should be talking about right now. I will be brief. As we talk about the federal governments role in deciding what goes in a library or school, there has been 347 increase in illegal crossings since 2020. 183,000 people came over legally in july. With had 146 people on a terrorist watch list. In fy 22 which is about 2. 4 million came across. Since biden has been president five and a halfmillion have come over illegally. That is bigger than the state of South Carolina. The last couple of weeks, smugglers with ties to isis were raising alarm bells. I like to be talking about that. You can also go get the classified briefing. It will scare you. Finally, it is not just me saying these things. New york city, the mayor, they are at capacity. We have no more room in the city and we need help. Its a National Crisis. The migrant crisis will destroy new york city. New york city will experience a financial tsunami. The mayor is right. We should be trying to find a way to fix this problem. That, to me, it is the biggest priority facing this committee and as to this panel, i will listen but i will and where i started. Its not our job to decide these things. If you are a parent, dont be intimidated. I will say to my colleague and friend from South Carolina that we joined you in a bipartisan effort a few years ago four democrats and four republicans and wrote a comprehensive Immigration Reform bill which i still think can be used today as a template for where we need to go. For 30 Years Congress has failed to pass Immigration Reform. As a consequence many of the things happening on the border or across the nation are the result. I stand ready and i mean this sincerely and personally when i say this to my friend from South Carolina to gather together for another day to put together a comprehensive Immigration Reform bill. I think that we both know what the likelihood of that passing in the other body is but that should not deter us from doing our duty. As the publication of books is an important part mr. Chairman i will be with you in just a second. The publication of books is an important part of our jurisdiction. The constitution is our jurisdiction. The constitution raises questions that i think will be addressed. Thank you, mr. Chairman. I just want to point out that we have not had a markup on an immigration bill in this committee which is a committee of jurisdiction since the current chairman has been chairman. Even when our democratic colleagues were in charge of the house, the senate, and the white house we have not considered any immigration bills. Senator tillis has joined me in a letter when he was chairman asking that we make some attempt to try to craft something that might generate bipartisan support. About two years ago, senator sinema and Tony Gonzalez who presents the largest order district in the country introduced a bipartisan, bicameral Border Solutions act. My thought was that at some point things would get so bad that President Biden or perhaps even our democratic colleagues might be prompted to actually do something instead of just talk about it. I guess i was wrong. In the meantime as senator graham points out, there have been 7 Million People coming across the border since President Biden was president. There have been 108,000 americans died in drug overdoses last year alone and we know that the fentanyl which is taking many childrens lives that 71,000 of those 800,000 were synthetic opioids. We know where that comes from. Win over the preserve precursor comes from and manufactured impressed of the pills that kids take and die. Of course, theres 300,000 children that have been placed with sponsors. They are unaccompanied children and the Biden Administration cannot tell you where they are. They cannot tell you whether they are in school or getting healthcare or being trafficked for sex or forced into involuntary labor. Frankly, they do not care because if they did they would want to do something about it. I will volunteer to work with you or anybody, but it has to be more than just talk. It has to be action. Nobody else can do this job. We are the ones who have to do the job if its going to get done. So far i do not see much in the way of action. I will just say in response that the bill we worked on with the gang of eight was a good faith bipartisan effort which i still think has validity to this day. It took more than just a Committee Hearing to achieve. It took people with goodwill trying to Work Together to compromise. Im sorry you did not support that bill. I think it was a bill we should return to at this time. I am ready to do that at any point. I take you up on that. Bring the bill forward and let john tell us what he does not like about it and lets vote. America is in a National Crisis according to the mayor of new york city, not lindsey graham. This is incredibly dangerous, incredibly are responsible. Afghanistan is in the hands of the taliban. The threat of terrorism against the United States is getting worse and not better. Isis is involved with getting people into the United States. If you bring up the gang of a bill or any other bill as the base bill and have a debate on it, the committee will be well served. I look forward to doing that. Lets start by having the staff take a look at the bill. Count me in. Lets update it which im sure we will have to do in some respects and see if we can move it forward. As long as it is bipartisan and has a chance of passing in the senate as well as the house. I cannot even remember when that bill was on the floor. Was that 2016 . 2013. 10 years ago and it did not pass the house. I know that you are proud of that product, but unfortunately it did not pass the house. Of course, as we all know from schoolhouse rock a bill becomes a law when it passes both chambers of congress and gets a president ial signature. Forgive me for saying this, but that bill failed to succeed. I know that you are proud of it but that was also at a different time than we are in now, before the biden border crisis became so dire. I think that there is a different dynamic. Certainly there is a republican house. They will not take up and pass a gang of eight will. You know that, i know that. Everybody knows that. Forgive me, but when you kick keep talking about that bill as a gold standard, i have to disagree. Mr. Chairman, can i ask you a question . You may. I was not here when the bill that you obviously favor was considered by the senate. My question is simple. Did it grant amnesty to folks that are in the country illegally . No, senator. I do not believe it did. Those that were undocumented and currently living in the United States would pay taxes and social security. They would not qualify for citizenship at least at the outset. The idea was to get everybody on the books once and for all. I think it is a positive step forward. It had favorable sections for dreamers which you can imagine i had interest in. How is that not amnesty . The dream act . How is that not amnesty . Its not as this they were being forgiven for wrongdoing. They were brought to the country as infants. I do not think there was culpable conduct on their part. You were allowed to register and if you registered you could stay indefinitely . It was a path to citizenship for dreamers. There was no culpable conduct. It sounds to me like that is amnesty. In your eyes it may be. Of a child is brought here at the age of two, to say that they are guilty of a criminal act or should have criminal culpability, i think that is an extreme position. Im not trying to say that they are bad people. I just want to understand what the bill is. It sounds like amnesty. It is lengthy. I was part of that. Here is what i will tell my good friend. You need bipartisan buyin. You need to secure your border. You need to increase Legal Immigration because we do not have enough people to work in the economy. You need to deal with the people that are here illegally. Im open to doing all of these things but it is 2023 and senator cornyn mentioned that our effort did not make it but even i would say in 2023 the problem is so much bigger than it was before it would take more effort on the border. It would take a real lift to stop the flow. I am willing to work with you. I am willing to compromise, but the administration has done nothing. They sent a bill that nobody on our side was part of. It was a dream of the left. At the end of the day i do not mind disagreeing with republicans about how to fix and immigration system. I do mind doing nothing about it. It might be consensus. America is under siege and we need to fix this. We will return to the subject of the hearing shortly. I am looking forward to hearing from the witnesses, but i do want to point out the argument that nothing has been considered for eight years or Something Like that. When you look at the time on this, when president bush was in he wanted desperately to get this done. I remember senator graham was in the grip that worked on this. Then you fastforward to obama and this is the effort you are talking about. Even during President Trump there was a major effort made led by senator around and introduced bill that was maybe what senator graham was getting out when he talked about a more limited bill with funding for the border but also included more work on work permits and visas, something on this Committee People on both sides of the aisle care about very much. Dreamers were covered under that bill. Temporary status people that were here were covered under the bill. I do not remember every single detail, but i do remember that we had enough republican senators to get it over the line. The house was going to pass it and then unfortunately President Trump rejected the proposal so it died. That is what happened. I only point that out because it was a very recent bipartisan effort compared to the one that was eight years ago. This has continued and there has been to say this was about amnesty or any of that, this was about moving our country forward because yes, order, do more, but no great come country has expanded with the shrinking workforce. We have made it so difficult for doctors and nurses and people that want to be here it has made it really hard in many states in the ag sector, and the hospitality sector and others. I just believe immigrants do not diminish america. They are america. We have to find a way to do this and one of the arguments that always seems to get lost is the economic argument for how important this is for the future of our country. Thank you. Senator whitehouse . I just wanted to observe your long and passionate advocacy and recognize the Ranking Member for his help will participation in multiple efforts to reform the immigration system. With you both as chair and Ranking Member there really is a prospect for doing something bipartisan and useful in this committee. Count me in. I will also flag that the next Budget Hearing coming up is on the economic value of more robust immigration which has very powerful economic value for americans. Mr. Chairman, if i may, i am glad i brought this up. There seems to be a lot of interest about what to do. The bill that senator klobuchar mentioned had 54 votes. I remember it well. There are many combinations but the problem is not just small, medium, or large it is unbelievably outofcontrol. I have been doing this since 2006. I never dreamed we would be where we are today with policies that basically are in shambles. Whether you liked President Trump or not we have the lowest illegal crossings in the last 40 years on his watch. Now what happened . The democratic president change those policies and we have a tsunami of Illegal Immigrants destroying new york city and other cities. Rather than talking today about what we should do, i do not care about the base bill. It could be any bill you want as the base bill, i would like to get the committee involved in trying to fix this problem. I accept your invitation to be part of that. Lets do it starting with that will. Today we welcome five witnesses. I will introduce the majority witness. The first when this is the secretary of state of illinois. Secretary alex giannoulias. The secretary is also the state librarian. He has advocated for libraries in the state and worked to prohibit restrictions on books a on partisan objections. I look forward to hearing more on this effort. We are joined by professor emily knox an expert on censorship of literature and the author of the book book banning in the 21stcentury. Finally, Cameron Samuels is a current student at Brandeis University and graduate of seven likes high school. Cameron led efforts to fight censorship in their community. They are the cofounder of students engaged in advancing texas which seeks to protect access to books for young people. Ranking member graham, would you like to introduce your witnesses . We have nicole, the president and founder of parents defending education whose goal is to reclaim schools from advocates pushing agendas. She is also the founder of speech first, a National Campus freespeech organization that has worked for the independent womens foreign. She received a bachelor of arts from the university of illinois. She has a master of Public Policy and Economic Policy from pepperdine. Our second point is is maxine, a Research Fellow at American Enterprise Institute Focused on education reform specifically k 12 and Early Childhood education and is a Senior Member at the Manhattan Institute dedicated to defending Human Dignity at building a freer and safer world. He cowrote the book, the book bans mirage report, debunking the myth of a book banned crisis in the United States. He received his ba from young university. Thank you. Five minutes from each witness to make an opening statement. Each senator is allotted five minutes for questions. Please try to remain within your allotted time. We will ask the witnesses to raise the righthand. To you testify that this will be the truth, whole truth, nothing but the truth so help you god. Let the record show that the witnesses answered in the affirmative. Good morning, chairman durbin. Thank you member graham and distinguished members of the judiciary. Thank you for allowing me the owner of being here this morning. One of the most exciting responsibilities of serving of secretary of state in the state of illinois is the ability to serve as the state librarian. As our youth continue to meet Educational Assistance in catching up after the disruption caused by covid, i believe libraries in every Single Community across the country have had an especially Critical Role to play in increasing Educational Opportunities for all americans. Imagine my surprise when, in the year 2023, instead of inheriting a debate over what more can be done with and for libraries, i was confronted with a book banning movement upon taking office. You see, libraries have become targets by a movement that disingenuously claims to pursue freedom buses but is instead promoting authoritarianism. Authoritarian regimes banned books. Not democracies. Tragically libraries have become the thunder dome of controversy and strife across the nation the likes of which we have never seen before. These radical attacks on our libraries have divided communities and our librarians have been harassed, threatened, and intimidated for simply doing their jobs. The need to stand up and fight for freedom sound librarians especially at this peerless time for democracy is why we initiated the house bill. This legislation is the first of its kind and it is a win for First Amendment rights and most importantly a great victory for future generations. Under this legislation libraries will not be eligible for grants if they banned books. This right to read legislation will help to remove the pressure librarians have tragically had to endure over the last couple of years. This legislation is important because both the concept and practice of banning books contradicts the very essence of what our country and democracy stand for. It also defies what education is all about. Teaching our children to think for themselves. If book banners care to they can go to our libraries and check out federalist papers, the constitution and Supreme Court cases on the First Amendment. They will learn that democracy depends on the marketplace of ideas. The marketplace of ideas will not function if we ban books because we will be banning ideas and preventing our children from thinking for themselves and hani having the ability to think for themselves. We will be banning knowledge, culture, differing worldviews. Ray bradbury, the acclaimed author who wrote fahrenheit 451 was quoted as saying, the problem in our country is not with books being banned but with people no longer reading. You do not have to burn books to destroy culture. Just get people to stop reading them. That is where the real danger lies. Parents and only parents have the right and responsibility to monitor the access of their children and only their children to library resources. There are more than 2 1 2 thousand instances of books being banned in schools last year including Many American classics such as 1984, huck finn, catcher in the rye, the color purple, of mice and men and i know why the caged bird sings. I have three young daughters and there are some books and titles that my wife and i do not feel are ageappropriate for them. I could ever imagine a world where i would tell another family what books their kids should or should not be allowed to read. Book banners say they want local control. What is more local than controlling what takes place in your own household. That is the very definition of local control. The ultimate irony is that by this they want the government to have more of a say in telling everybodys children what to think and believe. That is government overreach at its peak. Books are right away to access to the freedom of expression they promote empathy and understanding. We need to take any hint of censorship away because it is imperative to our civilization. The last punishment, it should have nothing to do with the political party. This is a freedom of speech and freedom of ideas issue. Not once did i ask a librarian if they were a democrat or republican. Not once did i ask an author if they were a democrat or republican. Not once did i ask a constitutional expert if they were a democrat or republican. Everyone we spoke to was not only in favor of the legislation but was deeply concerned with the concept of book banning. We want schools and libraries to be open and welcoming settings for education, not cultural battlefields. This aims to unify communities and seeks to restore a right that some of us may have grown to take for granted, the freedom to think for ourselves. Its my hope that others may look toward illinois and see the value in adopting our legislation as a model to stop book banning in its tracks and protect the right to read freely and without fear of retribution. I could not be more proud of this legislation. I implore everyone to please be on the right side of history and push back against these book bans in every way possible. Thank you to the committee. Thank you, secretary giannoulias. Chairman durbin, Ranking Member graham, embers of the judiciary. Thank you for inviting me to testify. My name is max eaton. , Research Fellow at the american institute. To put it bluntly, books are not being banned and its good that they are. It means made and available. Gender crystal available on amazon. The same. Only books on one side of the issue get banned. Rather, the conversation focuses on School Library availability. If it is made unavailable virtually every book ever published has been effectively banned in School Libraries. That is not what this word means here. A book can be both banned and totally available in a School Library. The media has accepted the definition of banned. Of a book has been taken off the shelves, reviewed, and put back on the shelves and banned, if it was put back on the shelf it has reportedly been banned. If it was to a Guidance Office it had reportedly been banned. The report banned in the usa they draw parallels to germany. My public School Library did not carry mein kampf. Was it banned . I do not know. I know that i have read a few books and missed the part about relocating to Guidance Offices. To provide an honest account, they set out to access how many of these books were in the report that were labeled as banned were actually removed from School Libraries. Three quarters of these books were stolen libraries the black lives matter x inspired the hate you give was available in every single School Library in question. When the Washington Post examined that had words like pornographic or obscene. That is what this issue is really about. This is the provision of sexually explicit material to children by public employees. This is a question of judgment. You would say its unreasonable with its closeup genital photographs out of School Libraries. Few would insist that romeo and juliet with lyrical allusions to sex should be removed. Communities must draw the line somewhere between those points. But where exactly . Take the previously mentioned book gender queer. It has a picture of a strap on blow job. If parents try to read passages they cut them off because it is too obscene to be read out loud. I guess kids could be listening . Great for them to read but unacceptable to hear. I think that is the principal. It is kind of gross to say and i dont want to but this hearing has been called and we really cannot have an honest discussion without knowing what we are talking about. We are talking about books with passages about fisting, butt plugs, and rape. The fourth most banned all boys are not blue, you are fully erect at this point. You promise you will not tell anyone . I promised. He grabbed my hand to touch it. It was the first time i had ever touched a that was not my own. I knew what is a happening was not supposed to happen. Cousins were not supposed to do these things with cousins. Also from lawn boy, in a Church Youth Group meeting out behind the bushes i touched dougs dick and there were some mouse involved. Underage sodomy, incest, blow jobs. Is this okay for kids . Judging by the media and politicians it seems theres a politically significant contingent that believes this is good for kids. Personally i am not at all troubled by the fact that some moms believe this is an appropriate and some School Boards agree. I find it kind of weird that the u. S. Senate is troubled enough to call a hearing about this. Thank you. Thank you, mr. Eaton. Professor knox. You need to turn on the microphone. Thank you, chairman german durbin, Ranking Member graham and members of the committee for giving me the opportunity to testify. Im an associate professor in the school of Information Sciences in urbanachampaign. Im the board chair of the National Coalition against censorship. I served as president of the freedom Tree Foundation the legal arm of the american libel library association. I do not reflect the views of the university of illinois. My research focuses on information freedom and print culture studies and policy. I was born in nashville, tennessee, and grew up in columbia, maryland. I studied religion at Smith College and the university of chicago. After working as a project assistant, i received my ms las from the school in illinois. After working as a theological librarian for five years i attended the Doctoral Program at the school of communication information at rutgers university. Books and libraries have always been a part of my life. My mother was a High School Librarian at Mcgruder High School for 32 years. I often spent my summers with her shelving, conducting inventory and checking in magazines. We always observed banned books week. Mom would bring home the looks is a list of books that had been challenged. My favorite author judy bloom is almost always on the list. The characters in her book seems like real people to me. I cannot understand why people would not want me to read books about my own life. My father was a professor at Morgan State University in baltimore. When i followed in his footsteps by getting a phd, i knew what i wanted to study. Why do people attempt to ban books . It is not surprising that the reasons are clear. Reading is powerful and the freedom to read can be frightening. According to the office for informational freedom over 2500 unique titles were targeted for censorship in 2022. Almost all of them can be categorized as diverse or books by and about lgbtq ia, native, people of color, gender diversity, people with disabilities and ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities. We have found that 71 of americans oppose book bans. 67 oppose banning books in School Libraries. Books are one of the most powerful technologies of the world. They cross time and space and in a small portable package. During this Current Crisis theres a lot of discussion about whether or not books are harmful, or dangerous or hurtful. This actually depends on who is reading them. We do not know what happens when an individual reads a book. Each person brings their own experiences to a book and those experiences will determine their response. These interpretations are never static. Redeems sims bishop argued that books are mirrors, windows, sliding glass doors. A book can help us understand each other by changing our attitudes towards difference. What we see right now is that people are fixated on the idea that books are only mirrors and sliding glass doors. They only reflect something true about the reader themselves or the readers world or they invite the reader to mimic an identity or action they read about. It is important to remember that books are also windows. They give us access to other peoples lives. Carrie h robinson notes that adults often censor difficult knowledge or knowledge that many adults find challenging to address in their own lives but especially with children. What can be more difficult than knowledge that can define your identity . In order to describe your truth, you must have the words to do so. These campaigns to censor books are unconstitutional and against every persons right to intellectual freedom. That is the right of every individual to hold, express opinions, and seek access, receive and impart information and ideas without restriction. The First Amendment states that Congress Shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech. Our right to speak, write, publish is all on the constitution. This is not based on people agreeing with these ideas. We must remember that as citizens of the United States, we are a free people and it is our right to read freely. Thank you, professor knox, ms. Neely. Chairman durbin, Ranking Member graham, numbers of the committee, thank you for inviting me. I am the president of parents defending and education. Gives parents the knowledge and tools they need to be Effective Advocates for their childrens education. Books have become a flashpoint in schools over the past few years. Headlines and Research Papers by activist organizations have intentionally muddled the waters between book burning and what is happening in schools. If you hear one thing today, know this. Family concerns about books and schools are not book banning. First, the book issue is a cure ration issue. It should be obvious that a book that is part of a lesson plan and a second grade classroom is more concerning than a book that can be checked out from the library. Also sensitive topics read to children at young ages is more concerning than High Schoolers learning about the human body. Merely suggesting that kids believe in santa not have unfettered access to graphic sexual modules novels is tantamount to murder. Wedding. Until consent it is not a matter of life and death. When we hear from parents about books the phrase we hear most frequently is ageappropriate. Radical, indeed. School boards across the country cut the maxon parents reading passages from these books stating is inappropriate. The same books are being provided to children in schools. While it may seem politically convenient to scapegoat parents i ask you to read some of these and look at these sexual images with your children or grandchildren and then tell your constituents whether you consider it educational. We do not put playboy in kindergarten. This is not considered a book banned but common sense. Strangely Media Coverage over the issue frames any discussion at all as tyranny. It is disingenuous at best and deceptive at worst. Classrooms, schools, and libraries have finite space and much select which is on display. They must prioritize purchases of over others. How these decisions are made and who is involved in the process is a matter of accountability but when people ask questions they are crucified. Objecting to minors accessing sexual content is a threat and a distraction from real concerns and the quality of education and whether students are safe in school. Second, the book issue is a parental awareness issue. It is not partisan to assert that children do better when their families know what is going on in their lives. This is not rocket science. America has funding which provides hundreds of millions of dollars. When this is even stuff that adults find challenging including violence, war crimes, rape, incest and more it is no surprise they can be providing context. Parents know young learners for which would be appropriate for their loved ones. This is for children in the same family at the same age based on factors like sensitivity. Children deserve education that meets the needs. Families want to know what their children have access to. They are pilloried in the public square. Such public flagellation is intended to not only extract a pound of flesh but to send a message from any parent with reservations. Far too many schools keep families at arms length which could not come at a worse time. Kids would benefit if they Work Together in their best interest. Families are considered adversaries and not entitled to basic information. In wisconsin a School District Training Session titled parents are not entitled to another kids identities. That knowledge must be earned. My organization has documented over 1000 districts across the country with parental exclusion policies which states that they do not have a right to know gender identity in a taxpayer funded school. It is not evil to want to be involved in your childs education. Every time a parent is my experience began when a few people sought to ban. A childrens book, like any other. The conversation on books quickly escalated and i signed up to speak at the next meeting. Walking up at the board room that night, i realized i was the only student there. The only one whose future was directly affected by the districts decisions. Spoke for restricting Student Access to literature. When my turn came, i spoke for a complete education and the freedom to learn. They applauded the adults but gave me silence, leaving me isolated in a room of people making policy about students without us at the table. In the following months, i stood up for my freedoms but my School District removed aid relevant books at record pace. Nearly all were targeted for identity such as lgbtq themes, racial diversity, and religion. These books represent students. We found ourselves more in challenged books then at School Libraries. I gathered student groups to distribute hundreds of challenged books district wide. We packed board meetings with the community. Libraries offered discovery beyond classrooms. Censorship limits our liberty to learn. It erases our identity in humanity. I cannot fathom that cartoon mice walking shamefully naked were considered sexual by the books challengers. My ancestors fled, religious persecution. I faced too many antisemitic remarks in school to remember. Classmates told me the holocaust did not exist. Many cannot name a jewish person so they learn about judaism through media representation often dominated by stereotypes. Books like the mouth accurate representations of a jewish identity. If a friend knew the real extent of the holocaust, maybe they wouldve thought twice before spring cologne in my face, saying he was gassing the jew. They burn books, they burn people. I saw myself in the book having faced similar harassment in school. Gave me words for my trauma but it was banned. Censorship bars students from age relevant materials, leaving them unable to realize their actions can traumatize others. Responding to a police report. In my district to remove it area in history, the secret police in germany acted similarly. My ancestors fled from across the world to escape. Not only school sensor books but our state. Student and i introduced amendments to senators to book handbills. Historically, my state is home to 8 Million People under the age of 20. Since everything is bigger in texas, we lead the nation for book bands. Censorship impacts our futures. Censorship is undemocratic. The Supreme Court rules to protect literature from scrutiny against identity. We may not see eye to eye but we are facing a students rights nationwide. As a 17yearold, i should not have been focused on defending my rights. I should have been learning. Ensuring education reflects its primary stakeholders, the students. We can proceed with a solution to censorship that facilitates collaboration between students, families, and educators. Thank you. Thank you, mr. Samuels. We have a round of questions from the senators. Each have five minutes. I would like to direct my questions to secretary. The American Library association has written the following. 1269 demands to censor Library Books and resources in 2022. The highest number of attempted book bans compiling data about censorship and libraries more than 20 years ago. The unparallel number of reported book challenges in 2022 nearly doubled the 729 challenges reported in 2021. My first question is going to be asking to address that statement by the American Library association in light of testimony before us that this is much ado about nothing. And the second one is the notion. Extremist attacks book bans are not prevalent. Has reached new heights over the last two years. Local leaders in states such as texas, florida, utah, missouri, iowa, indiana, and others have all recently for facilitating banning books and local School Districts libraries. These new laws provide for Civil Penalties and or jail time for violations that pose risks to teachers and librarians. That is like like the American Library association has spoken out. Can you reflect on those two statements . Thank you, mr. Chairman. The two are related. As state library and i talked to libraries, School Libraries, public libraries. The level of threats, intimidation, physical threats in talking to librarians, these are not my viewpoints. They have never seen in their entire careers. Because of these political attempts to banned books, we are seeing libraries close down at record numbers. It is difficult to find new librarians who want to serve in roles that used to be their dream jobs. Just a few weeks ago in the suburbs of chicago, numerous libraries received bomb threats and were forced to close their doors. I can tell you in illinois, its very real and across the country, the problem is worse. Again, what our bill aims to do and will do is fight for and protect these librarians. We have to fight for our librarians. We also have to trust that they have the professional judgment, experience to make decisions on what books long in there in circulation. They should not be up to fringe elements screaming from the rooftops about books theyve never read. These are librarians and individuals that have advanced degrees in library science. Masters of library science, masters of information and library science. It is important to make sure that we allow them to determine what is in circulation and it is important for us to trust parents to determine what books there kids should read. Again, it is not up to parents to tell other parents what books kids should read. Another point i would like to make when it comes to our legislation. We are not advocating for any single book to be at a library or not be at a library. What we are saying is less trust our libraries to not make these decisions. Not an integral parent whose angry or disagrees with a certain viewpoint. Judy bloom said recently i believe that censorship grows out of fear. Because fear is contagious, some parents are easily swayed. Book banning satisfies their need to feel in control of their childrens lives. This fear is often disguised as moral outrage. They want to believe that if their children do not read about it then their children will not know about it. They do not know about it, it will not happen. As i mentioned in my opening remarks, i have three young daughters. Of course, there are books that are not ageappropriate but that is what being a parent is all about. Doing your best to keep an eye on what your children read and what they consume. Thank you, mr. Chairman. I would say, as well, in the context of the world we live in where so much information is so available to people carrying iphones, Laptops Computers but they have access to, that we ought to be honest and realistic about that. I agree with you. The first responsibility is the parents responsibility. We believe there are age appropriate restrictions that can be introduced in libraries and other places which generally are consistent with expression. Thank you. Lets just build on what has been said. How do you say your name . Alex giannoulias. Eight Public Library is supported by public dollars. Does that make sense . Yes. Okay. Are you telling taxpayers of this country to shut up . All you worry about is your kids. Do not have a voice about how your taxpayer dollars are being spent and what kind of community you are living in here . Because you are a parent and you do not let your three daughters read something, is it possible that the other thing that the books in question may hurt the community and eyes of parents can a parent, a tax payer complaint under this theory or should they just shut up . I would make the exact argument. We are not making the same argument. My argument is you just said if youve got kids, you please your kids. Otherwise, shut up and trust the library system, the school system. Let them decide for your community. I completely, totally reject that. I do not have any kids. Should i shut up . I pay taxes. When you have a Public Library and you have a board, somebody decides what books go in and what not to go in, lend your voice to the cause. It is okay to speak out for your community. Cameron, you have an Advocacy Group in texas, right . That is correct. You have every right to do that. You can navigate through your point of view and somebody in texas has to decide who wins. But never shut up, never the quiet. My point is, the theory of this case is parents have a very limited role in life. Apparently, taxpayers have a very limited role in this area. We are paying money to run these libraries. We are getting money from taxpayers. They should speak up. You said is it unconstitutional for a parent to go to a school board or Public Library and complain . Thank you for giving me the chance to respond. Actually, almost all libraries had in their policies something called a request for reconsideration that allows parents or Interested Community Members to object or say what they would like to have changed in a library collection. I think what is important to remember is that this is a collective decision. It is not just one person who gets to say what is in the library collection. I am not arguing with you. Somebody has to decide but the point is the individual here, the individual taxpayer, the individual parent, there is an effort in this country to shut you up. We will absolutely not shut up. I am here on behalf of 10,000 members of parents defending education who want to have a voice in their childrens education. Every time they speak up, they are mocked, shamed, intimidated, silenced, and bullied by elected officials who do not want them to speak up. We are told that they are book burners who are ashamed of that. We will not stop. After covid, we had a window with what our children were learning and not learning and we were disappointed by that. Parents have not stopped and they will not stop advocating for their children. Has shown that they do not have our childrens best interest at heart. They have their money and the power structure in heart at the end of the day. Mr. And effort in this country to push ideas, books, literature through the Public School system in libraries that has a very Strong Political agenda behind it. Is that what you were telling us . Im thinking its pretty clear that that is what is going on here, sir. If you do not see that, you are blind. In florida, ron desantis did something you may not like, mr. Chairman. In illinois, they do it a different way. Governor desantis decided he would go in and stop what he thought was abusive from his point of view. My point about this hearing is there is no roll up here for any of us. Illinois, you do with the way you want area florida, you do it the way you want. Each School Library, you will decide. The day that a parent, a concerned citizen cannot come forward and say i object without being humiliated is a bad day for america and there is nothing in the constitution preventing everybody in this country for having a say to express yourself. To try to mold the community in a way that you think is better. Some of the things being pushed through this agenda are, quite frankly, offensive. I think you made the point earlier and i will repeat it. We all, i hope, agree regardless that violence is one of those lines. Humiliation is one of those lines as far as i am concerned. I think what we are talking about is policy in this country when it comes to the basic rights guaranteed by the constitution. Thank you very much. My question is going to be for secretary. There is one view of the facts here which is that the conflicts we have seen in School Libraries and in School Board Meetings involving the School Library and the local people who serve on the school board grow out of natural concerns by school parents. There is also significant reporting suggesting that National Groups funded by right wing organizations fueled by dark money using people who have no child in the school and may not even be from the state come into town and mount a surprise attack on local people like a school librarian. People who work in the school, people who serve on the School Committee who are just local people trying to serve the school who do not have any preparation for dealing with that kind of sudden disruption and political attack. Well scripted, wellfinanced and basically comes in like an outofstate artillery garage on the unsuspecting school. In your investigation and all of this, which of those two factual descriptions is closer to the truth . Thank you, senator. We have seen, heard, and read about instances where right wing groups, extremist groups, are trying to shut down or censor a certain book, access to certain books. Which is why, again, our legislation is very important to protect librarians in their ability to determine what books belong in circulation. I am saddened that senator graham left. He did not give me a chance to respond. This whole notion that protecting the right to read and fighting against censorship is somehow antiparent is one of the most ludicrous argument i have ever heard. What we are saying is do not let one parent who disagrees with a certain worldview determine what book whether or not a book should be in the library. That goes against the very point of our democracy. What it means to educate our youth, to allow them to think for themselves. And, quite frankly, its an antirepublican argument. Republicans are the ones that, allegedly, are the ones who fight against censorship and the ones who fight for our constitution and the freedom of speech. Yet here they are picking a page out of a random book that they do not agree with and making it sound like parents have no say. That is the exact opposite argument that we are trying to make. That would be particularly true if the parents involved were not parents, were not from the community, were not even from the state, but were being shipped in just in order to stir up trouble, make news, and create division and controversy. That is 100 correct. Let me ask and send that article by a very good reporter named amanda who covers rhode island for the boston globe we made a matter of record. It is quite a comprehensive piece of coverage about the way in which this movement has appeared in rhode island to make its points. Would be a nice way to say. Without objection. Mr. Speaker, i am going to submit questions for answers and give my use my time to make a few points on this subject. First and foremost, the notion that this is a book ban is misleading and not truthful. This has nothing to do with restricting books to the general public. These books can still be purchased through various retailers if parents want their children to have access to these materials. The issue is protecting parental rights and their ability to raise their children. As a father of five, i can confidently say no one knows what is best for our child more than their own parents. As such, i believe the first principle in education is that parents have a fundamental right and response ability to guide their childrens up bringing. This means parents ought to have the greatest assay in determining what is best for their children. The constitution gives this function to the states decisions on education need to be made at the state local levels. These levels of education are closest and most susceptible to the parents and children directly affected. States and School Districts are best equipped to craft education policies according to the unique needs of the students. Further, moms and dads can more easily advocate for their childrens needs in the classroom or even voice concerns to teachers, school officials, and that is closest to home. If needed, they can reach out to their local and state elected officials to pursue broader educational policy changes much more easily than coming to washington. In fact, this is something i regularly tell parents. Parents are their childrens best advocate. Our children and their future drive when they in local communities have this freedom to respond to the unique needs of families they serve. However, when this principle is violated, the results are not to the benefit of children. For example, we saw this after the passage of no child left behind. This law was enacted with the best of intentions but showed just how challenging it is for one approach to successfully help millions of students attending schools and thousands of classrooms across the country. I have always been a critic of one size fits all government. Those concerns ring especially true in education. Every child is unique. When we implement washington knows best policy, the children suffered the most in the teachers could not teach according to the way they want to. That is why Congress Passed the every Student Succeeds act to restore local decisionmaking and better serve in the parents and educators. Regarding classroom content sent by federal legislators or distant of washington would take decisionmaking away from the parents who know how to raise their kids. Throughout my tours of iowa, moms and dads shared their experiences and concerns about books and materials that have been presented in iowa schools. They have expressed reasonable concern about young minds to explicit and graphic materials and content in some classrooms and School Libraries. Common sense knows best. Unsurprisingly, we have seen every state we have seen various state and School Districts respond to parents by enacting policies aimed at protecting children. Parents in conjunction with state and local officials must make term of what is age appropriate for kids to ensure they are nurtured as they grow up. I will continue to support efforts reserving the rights for parents to determine their kids education and give state and local districts the flexibility policies that the communities they serve. Thank you. Think you senator grassley. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Nobody is talking about interfering with the right of a parent do you determine what kind of material his or her child should have access to. The issue is the ability of a group of people, not even parents, but a group of people or individuals who are able to go into a School District, school board in an effort to then certain books. That is really the issue. By any definition, i would consider that effort to be an effort on book banning. In fact, there states that have already enacted legislation that makes it easy for anybody to go in and list a book as an appropriate and, therefore, removed until it goes through some sort of review process. Specifically talking about florida as an example. Professor, youve done some research on why there is this effort to ban books. Can you tell me what sorts of books usually get on these lists . Yeah. I would say thank you for the question. The books that usually show up on banned books lists are books we consider to be diverse. These are basically books about anybody who is not white, heterosexual, male, books that are about lgbtq people, people of color. These sorts of books are books that we see on the banned books list. I do want to address the idea of banning books. Really, what we often say is these books are not banned but they are challenged. Like bidens border crisis, has a nice ring to it but in fact, we talk much more about challenging books. Removing books from access to its intended audience. That includes both age appropriateness but also, who did the author intend this book to be read by . That is an important part of thinking about what we call Election Development in libraries. We consider all sorts of issues when books are put in a collection. Not just issues of do we agree with what is being put on the collection but also how do we show many different viewpoints and ideas . When we look at that i am sorry to interrupt you. I do understand that the target of a lot of these kinds of lists are books that depict diverse lifestyles. For example, one of the books that is being sought or challenged in iowa is a book called the warrior. This is a book about it child who does not see herself as a girl or boy or something in between. This child dreams of leaving the. The native hawaiians have traditionally recognized the existence of a third gender and this book explores this in many parts of other hawaiian culture. If this book is banned from a School District in iowa books with younger grades that deal with gender identity. Do you think also, general, do you think that this book should be removed from School Libraries . Thank you, senator. I personally do not, which goes against the fundamental nature of our legislation which is to allow librarians to make that decision. My guess is that they would determine this book belongs in our libraries. The point i also wanted to make is, especially in regard to hula warrior. The goal of literature is to reflect back to the reader either the struggles or that the reader is facing or to provide insight into struggles that the reader has never had to imagine. Books are a safe place for people who are struggling, who need help. I disagree with one of the opponents today. Sorry. I do not even need the answer but i do have another question for you. Is there any evidence that says that exposure to certain kind of books leads to harm to a community . Does exposure to an lgbtq book cause harm to the reader . Is there any evidence to that effect . Zero. No, there is not. What i mentioned before is that books can be windows to learn about other people. It might be that you have a friend who is thinking about their own gender identity and you want to know more. Reading a book like that one will help you understand what your friend is going through. Mr. Chairman, i should think that there is more harm to a young person who thinks that he or she can be shot to death in a school and being exposed to certain kinds of subjects in books. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you, senator. Senator lee . I am going to be showing a video clip in just a second but i want to be clear. I think nearly every american could agree that parents have some legitimate interest in what their child reads or is taught, or otherwise exposed to. I think it is very difficult for anyone to disagree with that. That being the case, i think we need to proceed with this conversation with that backdrop and that understanding. Im going to play a video clip right now. She is the Legal Counsel for the American Library association. Here is what she has to say on some of these topics. These topics that deal not with book banning because no one here has banned any book. You can still get these books anywhere you want them. The question is not whether we should ban them. The question is whether they should be included in the curriculum or School Library. There are a finite number of books you can put in there. The question is which books should be included in which should not. Lets hear with what miss deborah caldwellstone has to say. Ultimately, we found the thing that needs to happen most, and it needs to happen before these bills are introduced is sustain messaging that reframes this issue that takes it away from the idea that these are inappropriate for minors. Sexually inappropriate for minors. Diverse materials and programming about inclusion, fairness, representation, everybody is right as he themselves and their families reflected in the books in the Public Library. Okay. I think what we saw right now is someone saying the quiet part out loud. Acknowledging with the goal is. There is a goal here and the goal is to sexualize children. Provide minors with sexually explicit material and then hide this content from the parent. Hide it changing the messaging. Avoiding the heat by saying no. These are not you are looking for. This is not about sexually wasnt content. This is about equality, this is about justice, this is about what is right and wrong. This has nothing to do. Of course that is what someone would do if they were grooming your child, if they were trying to sexualize your child. You see, there has been something that is happened in the last few years. During covid, a lot of kids had Online School and parents were able to observe in the classroom in ways that they have not been in the past. Observe what was being taught, how was being taught which awakened something significant among parents throughout america. That is what you got groups of parents standing up in places across the country. Utah parents united, ms. Neelys group, parents depending education. They are providing parents with the tools they need in the information that they desire about how best to protect their kids from inappropriate things that they may be being taught or may be being given at the school where they spend most of the best hours of most days of the week throughout the school year every year. One of the explicit excerpts read by mr. Eaton just a few minutes ago presented to this committee is from all boys are not blue. A book available without restriction in at least one utah junior high school. Attended by children ages 1315 and at least five utah high schools. In three utah high schools, the book was available to children over 16. Remember, from what was shared with us from mr. Eaton, this book has some really graphic, sexually explicit stuff. This is pornographic. Certainly not appropriate for children and it is, no matter what else you think about it, it is something that is sexual in nature. I really do think very few, if any, american could really disagree with the statement the parents have an interest in what theyre children are taught when it comes to training. Lawmakers on of those efforts to protect her children to exposure. Vice president harris cried book ban even though all of these books are still available. You can still buy them, all of them on amazon. All over the place. You can buy when harry sally. This is not a ban. This is about schools deciding what is appropriate for School Children. Spent sexually explicit, pornographic material is not appropriate and parents are legitimately concerned about that. I am concerned about this in a variety of respects. I like to ask the question. Mr. Eaton, is placing commonsense age restrictions on were removing sexually explicit books from School Curriculum and School Libraries. Is that book banning or is that carrying ramifications for what we would talk about in terms of the First Amendment . No, sir. Why is that not book banning . What is that not defend in any shape or form . No student actually blocked from acquiring the book in a broader sense. If you are providing content to a child that you have spoken to by you, by the school, if that would constitute in some jurisdiction, in some circumstances, a crime, you got a problem. The School Districts are acting in response to parental concerns. They should be removing these. Shame on them if they dont and shame on those who want to groom children sexually. Thank you. Thank you, mr. Chairman. I would love to pick up exactly where my friend left off by reaffirming the agreement the bipartisan agreement. There is no one in this community that believes that children should have access to materials that are inappropriate for their age. There is no one that believes that children should have access to inappropriate, pornographic materials. This, to me, is about something deeper that is going on in the American Culture right now that is really troubling. That is why i want to pick up where he talked about what is going on in our schools. I actually agree with graham but i do not see much congress we will make no laws addressing this. I do think it is important we hold a Committee Like this to talk to these larger issues. We have a country right now that is based in the ideals of a commitment to one another. We were not founded on same religion, same ethnicity, we were founded on big principles of democratic ideals in a diverse democracy. It is so necessary that we know each other, that we see each other, that we understand each other. That is what makes us stronger. And in many ways, our schools become areas, especially the ideas of Public Schools were Diverse People come for an education. I am suspect of these books being taken out of libraries and schools because i started seeing books that had been there not just for years but for decades, literally generations. 25, 30, 40yearold books on shelves suddenly be taking off. Books that were important to me when i was growing up. My parents in 1969 had to fight a court case, had to go the legal fights to get into the town i grew up in. We were the first black family to ever move in. As my father used to call us, four raisins in a tub of sweet vanilla ice cream. For me, finding books on my Library Shelf that not only gave me affirmation but a celebration that expanded my understanding of history, they were anchors timmy. Lifelines in some ways. And at a time where i was forming my selfconcept and my sense of selfworth, these were the books that became the foundation of who i am. Some of the greatest works of american literature. When i see books by some of the greatest authors. I see Frederick Douglass being taken off the shelf, that is when i begin to worry that we are falling into this trap where we are failing to do what is necessary in a democracy which is to create public forums, educational pathways, gender empathy and understanding that in gender, the sentiment that is necessary for democracies to exist. Not a culture of contempt for one another but a deeper culture of understanding. I had conversations with my parents as i got older. You brought up two black boys in a predominantly white community. What were you thinking . We talked about a lot of the books that we read at home and read at school. She would laugh at me and say of course. I couldve bought you those books if they were removed from the library but what was important for you to have them in the library was not for you was for your peers. For them to have access. I remember the power of reading invisible man in my High School English class and the impact it had on my peers. I had the most nurturing, positive community to grow up in but to hear what they experienced, expanding their understanding. I remember when i was a college student. Counseling on a suicide crisis height hotline to lgbtq youth coming out who were considering suicide. The power of just knowing they were not alone, that there were other people sharing that experience. A lot has been talked about today but there are deeper issues of what kind of culture are we going to promote in our country . One of compassion, empathy, understanding or one that is going to continue this false narrative of us versus them. In the remaining seconds that i have, i actually think there is a problem when we are attacking our own history in trying to it as opposed to celebrating what was a rough, difficult, uncomfortable, messy American History. What makes us even greater is the fact that we had a history that we had overcome. There is some negativity when young people are learning history that is of the complications and the difficulties of race issues, gender issues, lgbtq issues. Is there a danger in giving people a sanitized version of American History . Absolutely. It is important that we know the truth of our history. There is a time when i would not have been able to sit here in this hearing to speak to this committee. We have grown from that but it is important that people know that we have a history of trauma in our country. We gain nothing by not telling our children the truth of genocide and slavery. We gain nothing if we dont tell people the truth about that history. This is one concern i have about many of the books that are being challenged right now is that people want to sanitize this history and say what was all in the past, or even if it was all in the past, its too painful to discuss. It may be painful but it is still the truth and it must be said. It is important to be citizens of this great country that we know where we came from so we can make the world better as we go forward. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you, senator. I might see if there is a photo. The senator of tennessee is recognized. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you to each of you for being here today and as i have listened to your testimony and your answers to questions, mr. Chairman, one of the things that has been of concern to me there is a parent your concern or outrage over some of the books and things that are being banned, omitted. There has been nothing said about what big tech platforms or major publishers are doing by banning or refusing to work with conservative authors. That is a troubling trend that i have seen. I have heard from tennesseans about some companies who are more leftleaning or are liberal. Media companies. They are choosing to disallow publications. You had something with pence, with justice barrett. That is not brought in to this hearing and there are two discussions that ought to be taking place because we do have very talented people that are being blocked out. That publishing and estimation network. That is of concern. In your testimony, you did talk a little bit about the agreed use of egregious attempts. Anyone that does not agree with them to remove publishing deals to disallow distribution on platforms. I want to give you the opportunity to talk a little bit more about that and the effect that that has. Parents are being intimidated, challenged, and canceled for speaking up. From the big tech platforms, what also concerns me is the state action that is being taken. As much as we talk about the districts that might be discussing what a book can or cannot be in a School District, i think its also worth discussing the local control, the issue that mr. Alex giannoulias mentioned. Removing controlled families. In montgomery county, maryland, and dearborn, michigan, there been countless muslim families that are spoken up because they want the right to opt their children out of sexually explicit lesson plans. They are being denied that opportunity. They are being forced to have their children read books that are graphic, sexual. These are books that are not only relevant to the curriculum but that do not core with their family values. Those decisions are being taken away by localities. In some states,. This is something that parents are concerned with. That issue that i do not want my child to be forced to read something with a book that is being burned in , germany. We hear a lot about in tennessee. I think we are very fortunate to have some really wonderful, dedicated teachers who have worked with parents and have allowed parents to be involved. I think it is important that parents have the ability to participate and to have that essay. Tell me what you are hearing from parents when it comes to directing the childrens education and what they are hearing. What are they hearing when it comes to blocking some of this sexually explicit or graphic material . One problem they have is getting access to know what their child is learning at all. Parents are being forced on a regular basis to file public records requests. The are being charged hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Recently from fairfax county, virginia, i received an estimate of 35,000 to gain access to materials. That is appalling. It is meant to discourage and chill Parent Involvement and engagement of these issues. It is meant to tell families go away, you were not welcome here. The experts know what they are doing. Put a Facebook Post up saying the purpose of the visit education is not, its to teach children what Society Needs them to know. What Society Needs them to know. That is an insult, a slap in the face the families, and that is something that families will continue to fight against. Thank you. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Senator holly . Thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you to the witnesses for being here. I think it is safe to say that all of you are here today because you are opposed to government censorship. Is that right . Okay, we can agree on that much. Book banning is a form of government censorship. That broadly speaking correct . You are an expert on this. Let me ask you. Book banning is a problem under the First Amendment because it is a government telling private individuals, authors what they can and cannot write. With the public can and cannot read. Is that broadly speaking correct . Yes, that is correct. What if the books were digital only . Could the government banned them then . No hard copies. No physical copies, just digital books. The government engage in book banning on the First Amendment . No. That is about a format of the particular book. That really does not matter when it comes to whether or not the government is banning a book. What if the government made a list of authors whose books it wanted banned and also went to all of the publishing houses in america, the government did, and said do not publish the books by any of these authors or we will punish you. Is that a problem in the First Amendment . My hope is that the government would not be involved in the decisions of a private company. Good. I would hope so too. Apparently, that is not the case in the United States of America Today under this administration. The hypotheticals i have just given you are not hypotheticals at all. They have happened. And we know that they are happening. The fifth Circuit Court of appeals just ruled missouri versus biden, im sure you are all familiar with this. Its going to go down as a landmark case in the worst possible way. What the court of appeals found is that the white house, not just the federal government but the white house actively coerced every major social media platform in america, let me say that again. Every major social media platform in america to ban speech that the white house did not like. What are we talking about here . We are talking about speech on the covid19 pandemic, speech on the 2022 congressional elections. Speech related to mask mandates, speech related to vaccines. What did the white house do . Over a period of years, they met with, on a regular basis, the leaders of social Media Companies and demanded that the speech they did not like be taken down. They further demanded that the same social Media Companies amplify the white houses speech. Amazing. Took down all of this speech that we do not like, amplify our own speech. Unbelievable. What kind of speech are we talking about . For example, not just Public Officials but parents. Heres an example. For my state in the state of missouri. I am reading it from opinion here. One parent who posted on next door. Com, posted an online petition to encourage his school to remain mask optional found that his posts were removed without notifying him. His friends never saw them. Another parent in the same School District to object to mask mandates for School Children responded to on twitter and received a warning from twitter that his account would be banned if he did not delete the tweets criticizing doctors approach to mask mandates. These objections, this censorship was taken of the direct of the federal government. Of the Biden Administration. Is this a violation of the First Amendment . Only a judge can make that determination. And the judge has. I am glad you said that. Multiple judges. Distro court, Federal District court said there was a direct First Amendment violation. Court of appeals, unanimously, threejudge panel unanimously said direct First Amendment violation. I cannot think of another time in American History when the president of the United States, and i say that advisedly, because the record reflects the white house officials were sending emails and communications to these companies saying that the president , himself wanted the censorship. Youve got the government doing exactly what professor knox said is not permitted on the First Amendment directly coercing the speech of private parties. Not just one or two authors but parents all across the country. Unprecedented in the history of this nation. I am glad we are having this hearing today. I hope we will have more to expose the censorship happening at the highest levels of our government. I would ask of this opinion, this judgment be entered into the record. Objection. I will leave it there. I know there are other who want to ask questions i just want to say that this censorship is un american, unconstitutional, and i hope it will go down as a sad chapter in American History that we can close here and now. Thank you. Senator kennedy . Thank you, mr. Chairman. I confess i am a little confused. I appreciate the argument or discussion that we have been having but for me, it is a little too conceptual. I dont know, metaphysical or whatever you want to call it. I want to try to understand what you are asking us to do. Lets take two books that of been much discussed. The first one is called all boys are not blue. I will quote from it. I put some lube on and got him on his knees. I began to slide into him from behind. I pulled out of him and kissed him while we. He asked me to turn over while he slipped a condom on himself. I was struggling to imagine someone inside me. He got on top and slowly inserted himself into me. It was the worst pain i think i have ever felt in my life. Eventually, i felt a mix of pleasure with the pain. All boys are not blue. The second is another much discussed book. Im sure you are familiar with it. Its called gender. Let me read an excerpt from that. I got a new strap on harness today. I cannot wait to put it on. It will fit my favorite perfectly. You are going to look so hot. Mr. Secretary, what are you asking us to do . Are you suggesting that only librarians should decide whether the two books that i just referenced should be available to kids . Is that what youre saying . No. Okay, tell me what you are saying. First of all do not give me a speech. With all due respect, the word you spoke are disturbing, especially coming out of your mouth, are very disturbing. I will also tell you that we are not advocating for kids to report. What are you advocating for . Were advocating for parents, random parents not to have the ability under keeping kids safe to try to challenge the worldview of every single manner on these issues. Were getting conceptual again. I am not getting conceptual. Yes you are. I want to know what you are recommending. It sounds to me like what some of you are saying, librarians should decide who gets to see that both. When individual parents are allowed to make a decision of what and where that line is in two kill a mockingbird, should that book be pulled from our libraries . I think you want to think about it a little bit more before you come here. If you are going to propose something, you will be able, in 30 seconds, to be able to explain what you are asking us to do. How would you like me to refer to you . Senator, your definition of sexual is synonymous with lgbtq identity. Im not asking you that. Im asking you to tell me, you read those two excerpts . Are you asking that only librarians and not parents have any say in whether minors can read those books. Is that what you are saying . Gender queer has never been in my School Library, so its never been banned. Suppose it was. Should be up just to the library and or should parents have a say . There should be facilitation of collaboration parents have a say. Parents should be working with students and educators, making decisions. Who decides ultimately, the librarian . Or do you take a vote . Or who takes the vote . Committees in the community and my School District. You want a committee . There are committees. Im asking you, how do we decide whether the two books that i just referenced should be available in the library . What would you if you were running things what would you do . All boys arent blue, the scene you mentioned is about sexual abuse. I know what its about. What would you do in terms of making the books available. Would you say anybody can see them or they have to be in the special section . Students who do not read books like all boys arent blue cannot learn i understand that. None of you want to answer my question. You come here and you say censorship is bad, and of course its bad, but the obvious response is okay, you heard the books were talking about. We are not talking about catcher in the rye. So tell me what you want. Who gets to decide . And all ive heard is the librarians. And parents have nothing to do with it, and if thats your response, what planet did you just parachute in from, or what country, more appropriately . This is not china. Parents, senator, with all due respect, parents absolutely have a say. My parents were immigrants, came to this country. We never checked out books without our parents seeing what books they were reading. Mr. Secretary, i understand this is good for your politics back home. Its got nothing to do with my politics. It has everything to do with your politics, but you came here with a problem and im trying to understand the solution, and you dont have one other than to tell us that we dont agree with you. Well be on the wrong side of history. We solved the problem in illinois. We fixed it. Theres others you could work on. Im out of time. Thank you, mr. Chairman. To help other states make the decisions. At this point there are no senators here who have been recognized. [ inaudible ] im sure you do. I know my colleagues on the Committee Want to have access to books that are appropriate for their age. There are some serious disagreements, however, about what content is objectionable. It is inevitable and healthy for a democracy. We need to Work Together as a country to try to create clear standards for access to books so that no one individual can cause a book to be banned for an entire community. Im proud of my home state, secretary giannoulias, for leading the effort to push back against book bans. I hope other states will follow your example. Libraries and the treasured books within them are just too important to allow this rising censorship to continue any longer. Lets come together to protect the freedom to read, and learn, and stand up against book banning wherever it occurs. The record for todays hearing will remain open for one week. The hearing is adjourned. Cspan student cam documentary competition is back, and this time were celebrating 20 years with this years theme, looking forward while considering the past. The youth of today are leaders of tomorrow. Its imperative that we take care of them with this groundwork that will help them as they progress through life. With more awareness we can Work Together to prevent fentanyl from becoming the worlds next pandemic. Inflation really matters. Its important to understand the consequences of allowing inflation to go out of control. We are asking students to create a 56 minute video answering one question. In the next 20 years whats the most important things you would like to see in america, or over the past 20 years what is the most important change in america . We need a supporting and opposing perspective. As we do each year we give away 100,000 in total prizes with a grand prize of 5000, and because we are celebrating 20 years, every teacher who has students participate in this years competition has e opportunity to share a portion e additional 50,000. The deadline for students to submit documentaries is friday, january 19th, 2024. For more information about this years contest and rules, visit our website at student cam. Org. This fall watch these fans new series, books that shaped america. Join us as we embark on a captivating journey in partnership with the library of congress, which first created the books that shaped america list to explore key works of literature from American History. The 10 books featured on our series have won awards, led to significant societal changes, and are still talked about today. Hear from featured Renowned Experts who will shed light on the impact of these iconic works and virtual journeys to Significant Locations across the country into quickly tied to these celebrated authors and their unforgettable books. Among our featured books, common sense by thomas paine, Huckleberry Finn by mark twain, their eyes were watching god by zora neale hurston, and free to choose milton and rose freeman. Watch our 10 part series, books that shaped america, starting monday, september 18th at 9 00 p. M. Eastern on cspan. Cspan now, a free mobile video apple or live on cspan. Org. Cspan is your unfiltered view of government. We are funded by these Television Companies and more, including buckeye broadband