House passes bill that sparks partisan debate on book bans

The House passed a bill which Democrats feared will lead to more book bans in public schools and sparked a partisan debate on parental rights.

Republicans argued the measure is needed to get rid of the remaining inappropriate books left on the shelves and protect young people.

“HB 1119 Materials Harmful to Minors is a common sense bill that answers a simple question. Should pornography be available to minors in our schools?” said bill sponsor Rep. Doug Bankson. “The answer is an emphatic ‘no.’”

Bankson’s bill cleared the House full floor with a 84-28 vote late Wednesday  after a partisan 50-minute debate.

HB 1119 would ban the consideration of literary, artistic, political or scientific value if the material is deemed otherwise harmful for minors.

The bill comes after a 2023 law that made it easier for adults to challenge books in public school libraries which has led to classic titles getting taken out. That law is currently being challenged in federal court after some of the biggest publishing companies, best-selling youth authors and local parents filed a 2024 lawsuit in Orlando.

Bankson argued a loophole to keep inappropriate books on the shelves exists in the application of the Miller Test, which is a Supreme Court decision dealing with adult material.”

Rep. Kim Kendall said that loophole kept seven books in St. Johns County Schools that some parents found offensive until they were finally pulled.

“We rate movies, TV shows, and songs. There’s nothing wrong with rating books,” the Jacksonville Republican said. “We would never show an X-rated movie in a middle school classroom. This is common sense.”

But Rep. Rita Harris warned the bill is an excuse to pull coming-of-age books by Judy Blume and other authors that have connected with teens for decades.  

“I know this bill is being presented as a refinement of existing law, but the reality is it expands a system that has already led to widespread book removals. We’ve seen litigation and we’ve seen real financial costs for taxpayers and school districts,” said Harris, an Orlando Democrat, as she shared how reading Blume helped her navigate hard times growing up.

The bill will be ammunition for more book bans across the state when already “hundreds and in some cases, thousands of books have been removed or restricted,” Harris said. 

“Some of the books removed from shelves include classics like ‘Beloved’ by Toni Morrison. You know, she won a Pulitzer Prize for that book,” Harris said. “And you don’t win a Pulitzer Prize because you’re crass or unsavory.”

Advocates fighting book censorship have rated Florida’s among the worst in the country.

In a Republican controlled Legislature, Democrats unsuccessfully tried to change the bill with a flurry of amendments during the final debate Wednesday.

Democratic House Leader Rep. Fentrice Driskell said she fears the bill will lead to books about race or culture and LGTBQ+ characters getting removed from schools which is why she was opposing it.

“As I vote on this bill, I’ll vote with my head up high and my conscience clear,” said Driskell, of Tampa. “Because it matters what we do in this chamber. It matters for future generations and book banning is something that I cannot be a part of.”

Meanwhile, Bankson accused Democrats of scare tactics to frighten people as he advocated for parental choice.

“Contrary to inaccurate claims and misinformation that may be circulating, nothing in this legislation addresses banning classical literature or sexual orientation, gender identity, political views, religious issues, vulgarity, or bad language, violence, or gore,” Bankson said. “This bill solely addresses materials in public schools, classrooms, or school libraries that contain obscenity, or in more common terms, blatant pornographic and sexually explicit content.”

Bankson, an Apopka Republican,  sponsored  a similar bill in the 2025 Legislative Session but it died in the Senate.

Now in the 2026 Legislature, an identical bill  (SB 1692) has been introduced in the Upper Chamber but has yet to be called to a committee vote.

“We have been here before and, I don’t know why we’re back,” said Rep. Michele  Rayner, a St. Petersburg Democrat.