Sponsors (32)
Introduced December 4, 2025 by Adelita S. Grijalva · Last progress December 4, 2025
The bill expands federal investment, standards, and data to strengthen school libraries, literacy, and digital skills—particularly benefiting disadvantaged students and librarians—while creating new federal costs, compliance burdens, potential unfunded mandates for poorer districts, and tensions over local control and legal remedies.
Low‑income, rural, minority, disabled, and English‑learner students gain greater access to staffed, modern school libraries and targeted supports because State/LEA plans, funding, and equity measures require addressing schools that lack effective libraries.
Public schools receive new federal investment (roughly $600M/year for FY2026–FY2030 plus Title IV flexibilities) to create and sustain school library and literacy programs.
Students and teachers receive expanded digital and information literacy instruction and resources—statutory allowable activities, training, and program funding will increase classroom training and safe/critical use of technology and media.
States, LEAs, and school districts face substantial new planning, reporting, and compliance responsibilities (data collection, equity plans, partner coordination), which can divert staff time and local funds away from direct classroom services.
Rural and underfunded districts may struggle to meet staffing, facility, and certification expectations without additional sustained funding, risking widened disparities if requirements operate as unfunded mandates.
The federal cost (about $600M/year plus administrative data/reporting expenses and possible additional appropriations) increases taxpayer outlays and federal budget obligations over FY2026–FY2030.
Based on analysis of 8 sections of legislative text.
Defines "effective school libraries," names librarians as teachers, authorizes literacy grants, mandates library data collection, and conditions funds on First Amendment assurances.
Creates a federal "right to read" framework that defines "effective school libraries" and recognizes school librarians as teachers, adds digital and information literacy as authorized activities, and authorizes new federal literacy grant funds. It requires State and local education plans to address library access and equity, directs the federal statistics agency to collect biennial data on school libraries, provides limited legal protection for school staff who follow "right to read" policies, and conditions certain federal funds on assurances that school libraries will respect students' First Amendment rights. Also authorizes two targeted grant streams with annual amounts for FY2026–FY2030, expands allowable uses of several existing federal education programs to include library-based digital/information literacy, and requires public reporting on library staffing, facilities, collections, and services.