ACLU of Florida Condemns HB 1119 as Unconstitutional Expansion of Book Bans in Florida Schools

TALLAHASSEE, FL – Today, the House Education and Employment Committee passed HB 1119, sponsored by Rep. Douglas Bankson, a bill that dramatically expands book banning in Florida schools and censors artistic, literary, political, and scientific materials in K-12 education. This government censorship measure now heads to the House Floor.

Kara Gross, Interim Political Director of the ACLU of Florida, shared the following statement:

“A free state does not ban books or censor materials based on viewpoint. Freedom of speech is guaranteed by both the United States Constitution and Florida’s Constitution, and those protections prohibit the government from dictating what people may read, view, or share. HB 1119 is an overly broad censorship bill that raises serious First Amendment concerns.

“HB 1119 unconstitutionally weakens the definition of ‘material harmful to minors’ to make it easier for the government to ban books it does not want young people to access. Under existing law, determinations about whether material is harmful to minors must consider whether the work, taken as a whole, has serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors. This bill ignores Supreme Court precedent and long-established constitutional standards, opening the door to sweeping book bans that target protected speech.

“The bill also creates a ‘ban first, review later’ scheme, requiring school districts to remove books and materials from classrooms and libraries within five days of a single objection – regardless of whether the objection has merit or whether it comes from a parent or someone with a child in the school. At the same time, HB 1119 chills speech by threatening to withhold state funding for noncompliance.

“Young people should have the freedom to read, explore, and experience age-appropriate material, free from government censorship.”

Read our written testimony here.