Quartz: “Illinois has become the first US state to prohibit banning books in public libraries. Governor J.B. Pritzker signed HB 2789 into law in a public library in Chicago, amid a dramatic nationwide increase in book bans. The governor, a Democrat, called them an affront to free speech. “Young people shouldn’t be kept from learning about the realities of our world,” Pritzker said at a press conference. “I want them to become critical thinkers, exposed to ideas that they disagree with, proud of what our nation has overcome.” The new law was spearheaded by Illinois secretary of state Alexi Giannoulias, who also serves as state librarian. It mandates that public libraries can only access state funds if they agree to adopt the Library Bill of Rights—written by the American Library Association (ALA)—which prevents materials from being removed “because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.”..