Adverse Legislation in the States
State legislators have introduced a range of that would have impaired the ability of libraries, library staff, and library boards to acquire and provide diverse materials, resources, and programming to their communities. As shown in the adverse legislation tracker, these proposals have appeared at unprecedented rates. The most concerning bills would remove long‑standing legal protections for libraries and staff, exposing them to criminal charges for providing minors access to books or online resources, or would mandate censorship by broadening what counts as obscene or “harmful to minors.” Other bills target specific content, weaken the authority of local library boards and staff over collection decisions, or threaten funding for libraries that keep materials disfavored by politicians. These efforts reflect a broader campaign to advance partisan social and cultural priorities through state law.
Actions you can take to support libraries and library workers:
Adverse Library Legislation Tracker
ALA works in partnership with state associations to assess the impact of proposed legislation, both positive and adverse, and to support the states' coordinated responses. The information contained on this page is for informational purposes only; ALA directs members to their respective state associations for specific guidance or calls to action regarding state legislative activity.
Right to Read Legislation Tracker
In addition to the trends of legislation negatively impacting libraries, over the past few years there have been many bills supporting the Right to Read and the professionalism of librarians.
ALA works in partnership with state associations to assess the impact of proposed legislation, both positive and adverse, and to support the states' coordinated responses. The information contained on this page is for informational purposes only; ALA directs members to their respective state associations for specific guidance or calls to action regarding state legislative activity.
Staff in ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom and Public Policy and Advocacy Office are available to consult with state associations that face adverse legislation. Contact: advocacy@ala.org.
