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If you’re struggling to keep track of the number of anti-LGBTQ+ education bills that would lead to widespread book bans across the U.S., know two things. First, you’re not alone. Second, that’s the point, and it’s precisely why the Senate has now added their own book banning legislation to the mix.
- Senate Bill 4925 is the companion bill to H.R. 7661, which passed out of the House Education Committee in the spring and is now eligible for full House review.
- Senate Bill 4925 would withhold funding from public schools if they engage in teaching or providing “sexually oriented material.” More specifically, schools would be barred from using anything related to “gender dysphoria” and “transgenderism” [sic].
- Senate Bill 4925 makes exceptions for classic texts and art… so long as they’re materials included in one specific Christian Homeschool curriculum or the 1990 edition of the Great Books of the Western World. That’s right—no books newer than 1990!
- Companion bills like this are an indication of legislative priorities, so it’s not in error that the language is nearly identical to the House’s 7661 proposal.
S. 4925 is now in the Senate’s Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP). That also happens to be where H.R. 2616—the national “don’t say trans” bill—is right now. The timing is intentional, as both can be considered together.
The timing is also intentional because Republican legislators hope no one pays attention to them during the quieter summer session. Indeed, it took three weeks for news of S. 4925 to even surface—the bill was introduced June 24.
This is your time to act. Contact your Senators in opposition to S. 4925. If your Senator is on the HELP subcommittee, it is especially important you reach out to them. The HELP committee is in session today, July 22, but as of writing, this bill–nor H.R. 2616–are on the agenda. —KJ
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