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Senate passes memorial opposing book bans in schools
Summary
Delegates passed a memorial (House Bill 4.22) urging protections against school book bans, with proponents arguing bans limit students' access to diverse perspectives and opponents saying practical limits on library holdings remain.
The youth senate passed House Bill 4.22, a memorial framed as opposition to school book bans and as a protection for students’ access to diverse literature.
Joanna Minnick opened in favor and said book bans threaten intellectual freedom and students’ ability to read works from a range of voices. “The growing trend of book bans threatens the constitutional right to free speech and stifles intellectual development,” she said. Multiple delegates supported the memorial, arguing access to books fosters critical thinking and that removing titles such as Night or To Kill a Mockingbird deprives students of important historical perspective.
Opponents said that libraries and districts already exercise selection discretion and that the memorial’s measures may be limited in practice; one delegate said library collections (not classroom curricula) are typically the locus of such restrictions.
The governor’s cabinet (Alexis Tran) urged the chamber to support the bill, saying regulating school boards in this way helps protect diverse perspectives and students’ learning. The presiding officer called the vote and announced the bill passed by an obvious majority; no roll-call tally was included in the transcript.
What’s next: The memorial passed in this chamber and may serve as a statement to the broader community; transcript shows enthusiastic floor support and applause after the vote.
