AASL Chapters Forum

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Membership in the AASL Chapters Forum is open to all and may include the state-level school library association’s president/chair, other officers, conference chair, etc. Past Delegates and other interested stakeholders from the association may join the forum. This space provides an opportunity to share, discuss and ask questions from chapter colleagues across the country.

  • 1.  CALL TO ACTION: H.R. 7661, Federal censorship bill

    Posted Mar 18, 2026 05:08 PM
    Edited by Amanda Kordeliski Mar 19, 2026 08:37 AM
    On March 17th, the House Committee on Education and Workforce voted in favor of H.R. 7661, a government censorship bill that would block federal funds for any material that is "sexually oriented." The bill uses a vague definition of "sexual oriented" that materials that even mention nudity could be restricted. 
    In addition, the bill specifically restricts any mention of an entire group of people-transgender people-in school materials. This bill is not about protecting children, it is about government censorship. 
    Instead of targeting librarians, educators, and vulnerable kids, Congress should invest in literacy education and support the Right to Read Act (S.3365/H.R.2889).   The current bills are (S.3365/H.R.6440).
    Call your House Rep, tell them to OPPOSE HR 7661: 
     Capitol switchboard: 202-224-3121
     Tell your representative to oppose H.R. 7661 and support the right to read: https://app.oneclickpolitics.com/campaign-page?cid=KOQDC08atRCJ0J1U6j3C5&lang=en
     Share this information with your networks and encourage them take action.
     



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    Amanda Kordeliski
    2025-2026 AASL President
    Director of Libraries and Instructional Technology
    Norman Public Schools
    She/Her/Hers
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  • 2.  RE: CALL TO ACTION: H.R. 7661, Federal censorship bill

    Posted Mar 19, 2026 08:38 AM

    IMPORTANT!!! PLEASE NOTE THE UPDATE TO THE BILL NUMBER BELOW:

    The original call to action contained the HR number from last session, it has been corrected in the post but not the UABB slides. Please note the change in bill number and use the following when calling to ask for support for the Right to Read bill. The current bills are (S.3365/H.R.6440).

     Th



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    Amanda Kordeliski
    2025-2026 AASL President
    Director of Libraries and Instructional Technology
    Norman Public Schools
    She/Her/Hers
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: CALL TO ACTION: H.R. 7661, Federal censorship bill

    Posted Mar 20, 2026 06:57 PM

    Hi All,

    I wanted to let AASL members know that the National Education Association has also put out a call to action against HR 7661: https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/action-center/take-action/dont-let-congress-ban-books

    Please contact your US House Rep to oppose this censorship bill.  The ALA 'one click' link or the NEA action make it easy to do. 

    And as Amanda mentioned, please share these calls to action in your networks and encourage others to take action.

    -Kathy Lester 



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    Kathy Lester, MLIS, MA
    Adjunct Faculty, Wayne State University, School of Information Science
    School Library Consultant
    ALA Committee on Legislation (COL) Member
    ALA Law for Librarians (L4L) Trainee
    AASL Past President, 2022-2023
    ALA Councilor At Large, 2021-2024
    MASL Advocacy Chair, Past-President 2014
    kathylester.lib@gmail.com
    kathyL@mimasl.org
    Twitter: @LibraryL
    ------------------------------

    Original Message