Governor JB Pritzker has signed legislation aimed at preventing politically-motivated book bans from coming to Illinois.
The new law signed by Pritzker will require Illinois libraries to adopt policies against banning books on the basis of partisan or personal views, in order to remain eligible for state library grants.
While the issue has taken center stage in other states, Pritzker notes that there were 67 attempts in Illinois last year to remove books from school or library shelves, including books about coming of age, race, and LGBTQ issues. And he links the book ban movement to totalitarian regimes.
Pritzker says the legislation is the first of its kind anywhere in the nation.
