What's in the anti-book ban bill the Mass. Senate is expected to pass

Nik DeCosta-Klipa

November 13, 2025

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The longest government shutdown in American history is officially over. President Trump signed the deal to fund the federal government late last night, a couple hours after it narrowly passed in the House. NPR has more here on what's in the bill, as Democrats turn their attention to a promised vote next month on whether to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies.

But first, here's what the local government in Massachusetts is up to:

On Beacon Hill: The Massachusetts Senate is expected to pass a bill today that would set statewide rules for removing material from school libraries. The bill from state Sen. Julian Cyr, a Cape Cod Democrat, aims to combat a dramatic increase in so-called book bans in recent years — across the country and in Massachusetts. In 2024, the Boston Globe reported that nearly 70 different books were challenged in local public schools over the prior five years. (The challenged books usually involved material on gender, sexuality, race or content considered outdated or racist.) Here's a look at what Cyr's bill would do:

On how books are selected: Cyr's bill would make school districts have a written policy on how library books are selected — and require those books to be age-appropriate, serve an educational purpose and be based on the "professional training" of the school librarian, rather than any personal or political views.
On how books are removed: The bill would also require districts to have a process for dealing with book complaints and challenges. Within the process, the bill would prohibit a book from being removed from a school library unless it goes through a public hearing and school committee vote and is found to by the district to be either "devoid of any educational, literary, artistic, personal or social value" or "not age appropriate for any child who attends the school." It would also allow students and parents to challenge the district's decision if they don't think it was "supported by clear and convincing evidence." (The bill would also prohibit school employees from being fired or punished for book selections that were made in "good faith" and according to the district's policy.)
Why it matters: Free speech advocates like the ACLU say Cyr's bill would prevent "politically motivated censorship." However, the conservative Massachusetts Family Institute argues the proposed process would make it "nearly impossible" to get objectionable books removed against a school librarian's wishes.
The big picture: Book bans have risen exponentially in the last two years across the country, according to the free expression group PEN America. Last month, the nonprofit released a report counting 10,046 bans in the 2023-24 school year and 6,870 in the 2024-25 year. That's up from an average of just under 3,000 the previous two years. Florida, Texas and Tennessee saw the most book bans, the report said.
What's next: The House has yet to have its say on the issue. So after the Senate bill passes, it will need approval there before it reaches Gov. Maura Healey's desk.

Up in the air: It may not feel like the government has reopened if you're flying in the next several days. The FAA is keeping a 6% cut in air traffic in place through Friday, as it assesses whether it's safe to return to normal operations.

At Boston's Logan Airport, there are more than 40 cancellations and seven delays so far today, according to the website FlightAware.

Keep calm and ferry on: Travelers between Hyannis and Nantucket will have to take the scenic route for the near future. The Steamship Authority said yesterday that it pulled its only high-speed ferry on that route out of service because of a 5-inch crack in its hull. (The crack is above the water line, but still needs to be repaired for safety.)

There's no timeline yet for when the ferry will return to the water, the Steamship Authority said. That means the only ferry option between Hyannis and Nantucket is Steamship Authority's car-carrying slow boats — which take over two hours, compared to roughly an hour on the fast ferry — or the privately run Hy-Line Cruises fast ferry.

Four wind turbines in Plymouth are now shut down, after a blade from one detached and fell into a cranberry bog last Friday. No one was hurt, but a spokesperson for RWE Clean Energy, the company that owns the turbines, said the turbines were shut down as a precaution, while an investigation into what happened gets underway.

P.S.— It's time for MassDOT's fourth annual name-a-snowplow contest. Between now and Dec. 5, Massachusetts K-8 school students can submit ideas to name 12 plows. But they have a high bar to meet. Last year's winners include Taylor Drift, Control-Salt-Delete and Meltin’ John. This year's winners will be announced Dec. 19.