A Win in Delaware! HB119, The Freedom to Read Act, is Now Law
We are proud to share that Delaware has officially enacted House Bill 119, The Freedom to Read Act, on September 15th.
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We were deeply involved with our colleagues at the Delaware Library Association (DLA) and the Friends of Delaware Libraries (FODL) to help shape and pass this new legislation.
At EveryLibrary, we supported the efforts of our partners at the Delaware Library Association (DLA) and the Friends of Delaware Libraries (FODL) to make this legislation a reality.
Together, we refined the bill’s language to ensure clarity and constitutional compliance and launched a public advocacy campaign that resulted in hundreds of Delawareans contacting their legislators.
Throughout the process, we provided strategic communications and media outreach, including with statewide op-eds and other meaningful communications.
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Additionally, the EveryLibrary Institute (our partner 501c3) submitted formal written testimony to the legislature emphasizing the importance of this legislation.
This legislation is a significant step forward in protecting the rights of readers and ensuring that every public and school library in the state operates under fair, transparent, and constitutionally sound policies.
This new law builds on the progress we made last session with the Libraries for All Act and reflects a statewide commitment to safeguarding access to information while preventing unconstitutional censorship in public institutions.
We commend Governor Matt Meyer for signing the bill into law and thank Representative Krista Griffith and Senator Elizabeth “Tizzy” Lockman for their leadership.
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As Delaware begins implementation, we look forward to supporting the Delaware Library Consortium, school districts, and local public libraries in drafting and adopting policies aligned with HB119 and the Libraries for All Act.
Thank you to everyone in our network who took action, shared the campaign, or supported this work behind the scenes.
We are proud to have stood with Delaware Libraries to make this happen, and thanks to our donors, we will continue to ensure its full and faithful implementation in the months ahead.