Chicago Tonight | Alexi Giannoulias on Testifying in Congress About Book Bans | Season 2023

INTRICATE ILLINOIS SECRETARY OF STATE'S OFFICE IS USUALLY ASSOCIATED WITH DRIVER'S LICENSES AND LONG LINES.

BUT ALEXA IS LEANING INTO HIS ROLE AS THE STATE LIBRARY INCOME SUCCESSFULLY PUSHING ILLINOIS LAWMAKERS TO PASS ITS FIRST IN THE NATION THAN ON BOOK BANS IN ILLINOIS SCHOOLS AND PUBLIC LIBRARIES.

HE FACED RUSSIANS HAD A U.S. SENATE HEARING ABOUT BOOK BANS THAT ARE DIVIDING THE NATION.

THAT AS MORE LIBRARIES WERE THREATENED BY VIOLENCE , INCLUDING TODAY WHERE ALL CHICAGO LIBRARIES CLOSED AND EVACUATED AFTER BOMB THREATS.

JOINING US TO TALK ABOUT THAT AND MORE IS ILLINOIS SECRETARY OF STATE ALEXIS.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME ON.

>> TODAY, ALL OF CHICAGO LIBRARIES WERE SHUT DOWN, AS WERE OTHERS AROUND THE STATE THIS WEEK BECAUSE OF THREATS OF VIOLENCE.

WHAT IN YOUR POSITION CAN YOU DO TO HELP?

>> KRISTA VODA, MY HEART ACHES FOR ALL THE LIBRARIANS, STAFF, FAMILIES THAT RELY ON OUR LIBRARIES TO BE A WELCOME CENTER -- A SAFE PLACE FOR THEIR KIDS TO GO AND READ BOOKS AND DISCOVER NEW WORLDS , PLEASE FOR PARENTS TO PICK THEM UP AFTER SCHOOL -- SO IT IS HEARTBREAKING AND TERRIFYING AND DEEPLY DEPRESSING.

THE IRONY IS AS I WAS ON CAPITOL HILL FIGHTING ON BEHALF OF LIBRARIANS THAT ARE DEALING WITH THREATS OF VIOLENCE AND INTIMIDATION THE LIKES OF WHICH THEY HAVE NEVER SEEN BEING FORCED TO CLOSE THEIR DOORS BECAUSE THEY CANNOT FIND LIBRARIANS WHO WANT TO WORK ANYMORE AS I'M LITERALLY FIGHTING FOR LIBRARIANS BECAUSE OF OUR LEGISLATION, LIBRARIES ARE BEING FORCED TO EVACUATE AND CLOSE THEIR DOORS BECAUSE OF BOMB THREATS.

TROUBLING TIMES.

AND I HOPE THE CRAZINESS STOPS.

>> YOU WERE IN WASHINGTON THIS WEEK TESTIFYING BEFORE THE U.S. SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE.

WHAT WERE YOU HOPING TO ACCOMPLISH?

WERE YOU HOPING TO PUSH FOR FEDERAL LEGISLATION?

TO SENATOR GRAHAM'S POINT, OUR LIBRARIES A LOCAL ISSUE?

>> YES.

BUT THEY ARE ALSO A PARENTAL ISSUE TOO.

THE POINT THAT THIS LEGISLATION MAKES IS BOOK BANNING HAS NEVER BEEN GOOD FOR DEMOCRACY.

WE HAVE TO TRUST OUR LIBRARIANS , WHO HAVE ADVANCED DEGREES IN LIBRARY SCIENCE, LIBRARY INFORMATION SCIENCE, TO DETERMINE WHAT BOOKS BELONG IN CIRCULATION.

YOU CANNOT HAVE ONE OR TWO FRINGE ELEMENTS OR PARENTS WHO DON'T LIKE A CERTAIN WORLDVIEW OR VIEWPOINT TO HAVE THE ABILITY TO ELIMINATE A BOOK FROM CIRCULATION FOR AN ENTIRE COMMUNITY.

THAT IS THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF OUR LEGISLATION.

TO TRUST OUR LIBRARIANS AND TO TRUST PARENTS.

UNFORTUNATELY ON CAPITOL HILL, AS REPUBLICAN SENATORS TURN IT INTO A PARTISAN ISSUE , THEY READ PORNOGRAPHY OUT LOUD, WHICH HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH OUR BILL WHATSOEVER.

WHAT WE ARE SAYING IS WE HAVE TO INCREASE PERSPECTIVES, INCREASE SYMPATHY , LET PEOPLE READ BOOKS ABOUT LGBTQ ISSUES AND BOOKS BY AUTHORS THAT HAPPEN TO BE AFRICAN-AMERICAN.

SO IT WAS A DANGEROUS MISDIRECTION.

I AM PROUD OF OUR BILL .

I HOPE OTHER STATES FOLLOW SUIT.

>> YOU MENTIONED WHAT SOME OF THE SENATORS READ.

YOU GOT SOME TOUGH GRILLING FROM REPUBLICANS.

HERE'S A LOOK AT THAT EXCHANGE WITH U.S.

SENATOR JOHN KENNEDY FROM LOUISIANA.

HERE HE READS FROM THE BOOK GENDER .

VIEWERS SHOULD BE FOREWARNED THERE IS VERY GRAPHIC LANGUAGE HERE.

>> I CAN'T WAIT TO HAVE YOUR COCK IN MY MOUTH.

I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU THE BLOWJOB OF YOUR LIFE AND THEN I WANT YOU INSIDE OF ME.

ARE YOU SUGGESTING THAT ONLY LIBRARIANS SHOULD DECIDE WHETHER THE TWO BOOKS THAT I JUST REFERENCED SO BE AVAILABLE TO KIDS ?

IS THAT WHAT YOU ARE SAYING?

>> NO.

>> OKAY.

TELL ME WHAT YOU ARE SAYING.

>> FIRST OF ALL, THERE IS -- .

>> DON'T GIVE ME A SPEECH.

>> WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, SENATOR, THE WORDS YOU SPOKE ARE DISTURBING, ESPECIALLY COMING OUT OF YOUR MOUTH.

VERY DISTURBING.

WHAT I WOULD ALSO TELL YOU IS THAT WE ARE NOT ADVOCATING FOR KIDS TO READ PORN.

>> GRAPHIC.

YOUR FIRST REACTION WAS THE WORD, DISTURBING.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?

>> I JUST THINK YOU REALIZE WHEN YOU GET TO WASHINGTON, D.C.

THERE'S A LOT OF SHOWBOATING.

THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE JUST THERE TO GIVE SPEECHES.

THEY DIDN'T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT OUR LEGISLATION BECAUSE THEY KNOW IT IS A LOSING BATTLE BECAUSE WERE TALKING ABOUT FREEDOM OF SPEECH.

FREEDOM TO LEARN.

IT'S ALWAYS MADE US A GREAT DEMOCRACY AND FUNDAMENTALLY WHAT EDUCATION MEANS, WHICH IS ALLOWED CHILDREN TO THINK FOR THEMSELVES.

INSTEAD, THEY TALK ABOUT PORN.

THEY TRY THE SHOCK AND AWE FACTOR AS OPPOSED TO EFFORTS BY DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS TO BAN BOOKS LIKE THE ADVENTURES OF HUCK FINN, 1984 , OF MICE AND MEN , TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, WHICH ARE BEING PULLED OFF LIBRARY SHELVES BECAUSE PEOPLE DON'T LIKE CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS DON'T LIKE THE WORLDVIEW IT REPRESENTS.

IT IS DANGEROUS .

IT'S WHAT THIS COUNTRY HAS ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT.

REPUBLICANS KNOW THEY CANNOT FIGHT ON THAT ISSUE, SO THEY SENSATIONALIZE PORN, WHICH IS WHAT WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT.

>> DRIVER'S LICENSES.

IMPLEMENT A NEW SKIP THE LINE PROGRAM BY REQUIRING FOLKS TO MAKE APPOINTMENT AT DRIVERS FACILITIES.

HOW IS THAT GOING SO FAR?

>> SINCE THEY WON WHEN I TOOK OVER AS SECRETARY OF STATE , WE LISTEN TO PEOPLE AND THEY DON'T WANT TO WAIT IN LINE.

PEOPLE ARE SICK AND TIRED OF WAITING IN LINE.

WE IMPLEMENTED THIS APPOINTMENT SYSTEM.

NOW IF ANY DRIVER SERVICES, YOU SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT.

WE MADE IT AS EASY AS POSSIBLE.

WE HAVE A WEBSITE.

WE HAVE A PHONE NUMBER.

THE IMPORTANT POINT WE WANT TO MAKE IS FOR MOST PEOPLE WE DON'T HAVE TO GO TO A FACILITY.

YOU HAVE A SAFE DRIVING RECORD.

GET IT IN THE MAIL.

GO ONLINE.

A LOT OF THE WORK WE ARE TRYING TO DO IS MODERNIZE THE OFFICE AND BRING IN NEW TECHNOLOGY TO ELIMINATE THE CONTACTS THAT TOO MANY ILLINOISANS ARE PAYING TO ACCESS GOVERNMENT SERVICES.

>> EVERYBODY KNOWS THE DMV IS NOTORIOUS FOR HAVING ONLINE SPREAD WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE TO FOLKS WHO MAY NOT BE TECH SAVVY AND MAY NOT HAVE ACCESS TO MAKING AN ONLINE RESERVATION?

>> AGAIN, WE HAVE A PHONE NUMBER FOR FOLKS TO CALL.

THEY CAN CALL AND SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT .

IF THEY WANT TO GO TO A FACILITY, WE HAVE TABLETS AT OUR FACILITIES.

WE CAN MAKE AN APPOINTMENT FOR THEM.

THE GOAL HERE IS TO MAKE THIS AS EASY AS POSSIBLE.

THE NUMBER ONE COMPLAINT WE HAVE HEARD -- AND YOU MENTIONED WAS A NATIONAL JOKE -- WE WANT TO ELIMINATE THE LINES AT THE FACILITIES.

OUR GOAL IS TO DO IT BUT WE WILL GET IT DONE.

THERE OBVIOUSLY WILL BE A LEARNING CURVE.

PEOPLE DO THE SAME THING FOR A LONG TIME.

BUT I'M CONFIDENT WE WILL MAKE PEOPLE'S LIVES MORE EFFICIENT

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