Industry & Advocacy News

Massachusetts Right to Read Bill Strengthens Author Protections, Passes Senate

Book Banning Free Speech

November 21, 2025

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The Authors Guild has been working with Authors Against Book Bans and other members of a coalition to get a Right to Read bill passed in Massachusetts. Guild General Counsel Cheryl Davis submitted oral and written testimony in support of the bill at a hearing this past summer, and last week, we urgently mobilized members across the state to contact their representatives about the critical need to protect authors. We’re grateful to everyone who answered the call.

On Thursday, November 13, the Massachusetts Senate passed SB 2696, “An Act Regarding Free Expression,” after strengthening its protections for authors and illustrators. Specifically, it has been amended to allow an author to challenge the removal of their book from a public library.

We’re grateful to the legislators who heeded our call for additional author protections. In response to an email from one of our members, State Senator Brendan Crightone’s chief of staff agreed that they were needed and said, “We know that creators have a personal stake in whether or not their work is excluded from a library, and they should also have the ability to contest those decisions.”

The bill protects books in school and public libraries from censorship in several ways by:

• Requiring decisions about whether materials are “appropriate” to be based on a librarian’s professional training—not on personal, political, or doctrinal views.
• Establishing formal review processes with public hearings and requiring proof that challenged materials have zero educational, literary, artistic, personal, or social value before removal.
• Shielding librarians from being fired for making professional book selections.

While the bill must still be debated and passed by the Massachusetts House of Representatives, this is a sign of great progress. We hope that similar legislation will be passed by other states, not only to protect the free speech rights of authors, but to ensure that readers can continue to obtain books reflecting themselves and their stories in their local public libraries.

Do you want to get involved in mobilization efforts around this and other Right to Read bills around the country? Contact staff@authorsguild.org.