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Illinois Secretary of State backs legislation aimed at preventing book bans

WSIU_Giannoulias
Nathan Mandell
/
Provided

In Illinois, the Secretary of State is also the State Librarian

Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias is taking a stance against book censorship with new legislation.

He says efforts to ban certain books have been on the rise nationally, and in Illinois.

The bill he’s backing - HB 2789 - ensures only libraries that refuse to ban books will be eligible for funding from his office.

During the last fiscal year, the Secretary of State’s office awarded more than 1,600 grants to Illinois libraries, totaling over $62 million.

Giannoulias to Libraries: We're United Against Banning Books

Ethan Holder is a student contributor for WSIU Public Broadcasting located at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.
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