Sponsors (5)
The bill increases oversight, transparency, and procedural protections around book prohibitions—benefiting incarcerated people, students, and the public record—but does so at the cost of added administrative and legal burdens, possible stigmatization, safety-delay risks, and potential inconsistency in application.
Broad public institutions (federal prisons, schools, and government offices) will face stronger oversight and transparency for book prohibitions via a new independent review committee, a First Amendment expert and an Ombudsman, and public reporting of appeals outcomes.
Students, parents, and educators will get clearer information about which books were banned and why through an annual, detailed public report.
People who are incarcerated gain procedural review and appeal rights when the Bureau of Prisons seeks to prohibit books, protecting their access to reading material and due process (including protections relevant to people with disabilities).
Taxpayers, school districts, and government offices will face increased administrative and compliance costs (staffing a review committee, processing appeals within deadlines, preparing/redacting public reports) and may face higher legal costs from increased controversy or litigation.
Appeals procedures and mandated review windows could delay the removal of genuinely dangerous or security-risk materials, potentially risking the safety of corrections staff and incarcerated people.
Granting discretionary authority to a review committee (outside explicit viewpoint bans) could produce inconsistent or uneven outcomes across facilities, creating unequal access to materials for incarcerated people.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Requires the BOP to form a review committee to approve or prohibit books in federal prisons, sets membership, appeal rules, timeline limits, and annual reporting.
Creates a required review process for books in federal prisons and sets rules for how books may be prohibited. The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Director must form a multi-member Publication Review Committee within 90 days to approve or disallow items, may only prohibit books after the Committee approves, and must allow incarcerated people to appeal removals. The Committee must decide requests and appeals within 90 days and is barred from banning books for the purpose of eliminating disfavored viewpoints. The Director must submit an annual report listing prohibited books and appeal outcomes.
Introduced April 16, 2026 by Adam Schiff · Last progress April 16, 2026