Legislation in Massachusetts

During the 2023-2024 legislative session, H.4235 was combined with S.2447 and other similar bills into a new draft by the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development. The new draft of the bill, S.2839, was then reported favorably by that committee. Subsequently S.2839 died in the Committee on Senate Ways and Means, never reaching a floor vote.

The current legislative session, number 194, runs from January 2025 through December of 2026. You can view the text of the bills as written for this session, as well as find out the bills' status and who is sponsoring them.

Related bills

• S.2328 An act regarding free expression

• H.3594 An act regarding free expression

• H.3591 An Act ensuring our freedom to read in the Commonwealth

• H.3598 An Act protecting against attempts to ban, remove, or restrict library access to materials

Legislation in other states

Massachusetts is not the only state to consider "freedom to read" legislation. Many other states have already passed their own bills banning or restricting book bans. In addition those shown here, many other states are working on their own bills during the current legislative session.