119-hres328

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 328 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
H. RES. 328

 Expressing support for the staff of public, school, academic, and 
special libraries in the United States and the essential services those 
 libraries provide to communities, recognizing the need for funding 
 commensurate with the broad scope of social service and community 
supports provided by libraries, preserving the right of all citizens of 
 the United States to freely access information and resources in their 
 communities, supporting a strong union voice for library workers, and 
 defending the civil rights of library staff.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 April 10, 2025

 Ms. Jayapal (for herself, Ms. Barragan, Ms. Bonamici, Mr. Boyle of 
 Pennsylvania, Mr. Casar, Ms. Craig, Mr. Doggett, Mr. Evans of 
 Pennsylvania, Mr. Huffman, Ms. Lee of Pennsylvania, Mr. Nadler, Mr. 
Norcross, Ms. Norton, Mr. Pocan, Ms. Salinas, Ms. Sanchez, Ms. Scanlon, 
 Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. Titus, Ms. Tokuda, Mr. Tonko, and Mrs. Watson 
Coleman) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Education and Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

 RESOLUTION

 Expressing support for the staff of public, school, academic, and 
special libraries in the United States and the essential services those 
 libraries provide to communities, recognizing the need for funding 
 commensurate with the broad scope of social service and community 
supports provided by libraries, preserving the right of all citizens of 
 the United States to freely access information and resources in their 
 communities, supporting a strong union voice for library workers, and 
 defending the civil rights of library staff.

Whereas library staff are cornerstones of their communities in the United 
 States, providing visitors with access to books and media, delivering 
 high-quality programming to visitors of all ages, ensuring equitable 
 internet access for all, and linking people to crucial information about 
 accessing social services;
Whereas libraries are an economic powerhouse in their communities, providing 
 resources to small business owners, job seekers, and individuals 
 learning new skills;
Whereas, in recent years, library staff have been called on to address the 
 fallout from difficult public crises in the United States, taking on 
 roles that exceed the traditional role of providing a space for, and 
 access to, educational and cultural enrichment;
Whereas library staff provide lifesaving care to members of their communities 
 who are suffering the effects of the ongoing and tragic opioid epidemic 
 in the United States, including being called on to administer medication 
 to treat overdoses;
Whereas libraries are a safe haven for individuals and families who are 
 unhoused, and library workers provide the supportive community 
 environment and resources needed by unhoused individuals and families;
Whereas libraries are often the only source of internet for underserved 
 communities;
Whereas library staff maintained public access to essential library services and 
 were relied on to distribute personal protective equipment and provide 
 testing to the public during the worst days of the COVID-19 pandemic;
Whereas libraries have met an expanded and intensified demand for community, 
 public health, and safety net services, often while contending with 
 severe funding cuts, creating unsustainable and frequently unsafe 
 working conditions for library staff;
Whereas the EveryLibrary Institute recently found that Project 2025 encourages 
 the mistreatment and misrepresentation of minority communities as well 
 as the harassment of library staff;
Whereas, on March 14, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14238 (90 
 Fed. Reg. 13043; relating to continuing the reduction of the Federal 
 bureaucracy) to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services;
Whereas eliminating the Institute of Museum and Library Services would harm the 
 ability of libraries to provide critical resources to millions of people 
 in the United States, especially in rural, Tribal, and other underserved 
 communities;
Whereas the health and survival of democracy in the United States requires that 
 everyone be able to exercise rights to information and services, and it 
 is especially important for young people to have the opportunity to 
 learn, encounter, and debate all manner of ideas, including 
 controversial ones;
Whereas students have been shown to spend more time reading and exhibit higher 
 reading scores when given access to diverse titles, and library staff 
 play a crucial role in curating diverse book offerings for young 
 readers;
Whereas a fundamental responsibility of the job of library staff is making 
 decisions about the books and media in their collections and assisting 
 visitors in accessing those materials without fear of censorship or 
 reprisal for fulfilling the role of providing information and resources 
 to the public;
Whereas PEN America found 10,046 instances of book bans in school libraries and 
 classrooms during the 2023-2024 school year;
Whereas libraries and library staff are more capable of providing their 
 communities with access to a diverse, inclusive, and comprehensive 
 selection of books and media when they operate free from threats of book 
 bans and censorship;
Whereas library staff have faced termination and criminalization for refusing to 
 remove banned books from their libraries;
Whereas, from 2024 to 2025, there were deplorable incidents throughout the 
 United States that were orchestrated to intimidate library staff and 
 prevent them from fulfilling their central work responsibility to 
 provide the public with free and unfettered access to information;
Whereas library staff across the United States are mobilizing for a collective 
 union voice in their workplaces to elevate their profession, to ensure 
 safe and adequately resourced spaces that meet the needs of the 
 communities they serve, and to protect the essential role of libraries 
 in the democracy of the United States; and
Whereas the week of April 6 through April 12, 2025, would be an appropriate time 
 to celebrate ``National Library Week'': Now, therefore, be it
 Resolved, That the House of Representatives--

    (1) commends the work of library staff in the United 
 States;

    (2) supports the goals and ideals of ``National Library 
 Week'';

    (3) recognizes that libraries and library staff provide 
 critical infrastructure for the United States and are essential 
 to the future of the United States;

    (4) supports the prioritization of full funding of library 
 services at the Federal, State, and local levels to ensure the 
 continuation and improvement of library services;

    (5) reaffirms--
        (A) the fundamental right of the people of the 
 United States to access information, which is made real 
 through the efforts of library staff;
        (B) the fundamental right of library workers to 
 organize and collectively bargain at work and to have a 
 protected voice in their workplace; and
            (C) the civil rights of library workers to exercise 
 their responsibilities to the public without threats or 
 intimidation; and

    (6) recognizes the right of library staff--
        (A) to speak out on matters of public concern;
        (B) to address themselves to elected officials and 
 to the administration of the entities that employ 
 library staff; and
            (C) to inform the people of the United States about 
 their right to free and unfettered access to 
 information, and about threats to that access.
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