Governor JB Pritzker, Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton, and Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias recently signed groundbreaking legislation outlawing book bans in Illinois state. While this move seems like a good idea at first glance, withholding funding from schools and libraries that choose to ban books will result in many negative consequences. Therefore, it is justifiable to state that the Illinois State Government should shelve this legislation.

It is crucial to keep in mind that the decision to ban books cannot be made hastily. It is the duty of libraries and educational institutions to guarantee that the resources they offer are suitable for the target audience. This could sometimes imply that particular books have been considered inappropriate for young readers or adults. By withholding funds, the Illinois State Government is essentially penalizing these schools for making tough choices that are best for their students.

In addition, this regulation will likely suppress free expression. Libraries and schools may be less willing to take chances and offer divisive or unpopular content if they are aware that they could lose funds if they prohibit books. This might result in the public only having access to the most mainstream and inoffensive content, which would be a grave loss of intellectual freedom.

Additionally, this policy may result in a situation where only the libraries and schools with the most significant resources are the ones that have access to a wide variety of materials. For students who depend on smaller or less well-funded institutions for their education, this would be a severe loss because these institutions would not have the means to offer a wide variety of materials.

There's also the possibility that this policy will prevent pupils from being exposed to a wide variety of viewpoints and ideas. Libraries and institutions that ban books are essentially restricting particular viewpoints and ideas. Students might not be exposed to a variety of viewpoints as a result, which could make them less equipped to interact with the outside world.

Also, implementing this legislation may leave pupils insufficiently prepared for life in the real world. People encounter diverse concepts and viewpoints in the actual world, some of which may be divisive or unpopular. Schools and libraries will fail to prepare pupils for the real world by excluding these concepts from their resources.

This policy might cause the government to overreach. The government is essentially punishing schools and libraries that use their right to free speech by withdrawing money from them. This set a risky precedent that might eventually result in more government overreach.

Lastly, this policy's message to the nation at large merits consideration. Illinois is establishing a precedent that other states might follow by being the first to pass legislation banning book bans. If other states adopt similar policies, it could lead to a situation where books are forbidden less frequently, but only because libraries and schools are afraid of losing funding. This is not a pleasing outcome.

In conclusion, even if the Illinois State Government's decision to stop funding libraries and schools that prohibit books may seem like a good idea, it's necessary to think about the possible drawbacks of implementing such a policy. This strategy may stifle free expression and intellectual freedom since it penalizes institutions for making difficult decisions. Moreover, this creates a risky precedent that other governments might emulate. For these reasons, the Illinois State Government should reevaluate this policy.