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Missouri House Committee Chair Wants to Defund Libraries

GOP Rep. Cody Smith wants revenge after library associations pushed back on a book ban

Mar 22, 2023 at 8:12 am

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TIM BOMMEL/HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS

Missouri state Representative Cody Smith.

Yesterday in Jefferson City, Representative Cody Smith (R-Carthage) announced that he wanted to remove all state funding for libraries in Missouri.

Smith, who is the chairman of the House Budget Committee, has submitted revisions to the state's proposed budget for next fiscal year, including taking the $4.5 million allocated for libraries and reducing that number to zero.

Smith says he's upset that library associations are suing to stop a law that went into effect in August that bans "explicit sexual material" from school libraries.

Librarians who are found to violate the August law could face up to a $2,000 fine or a year in jail.

Critics of the law blasted its vague language and said it would instill a climate of fear among people who work at school libraries.

Last month, the Missouri Library Association and the Missouri Association of School Librarians along with the ALCU sued in state court, hoping that a judge will find the law unconstitutional.

“The law presents specific peril for school librarians,” the Missouri Library Association's Joe Kohlburn said in a statement. “Librarians have been undermined politically in this state for long enough, and the fear of prosecution is an ongoing issue for keeping qualified professionals in Missouri, as well as bringing new people into the profession."

The Missouri Independent quoted Smith as saying, “I don’t think we should subsidize that effort. We are going to take out the funding and that is why."

Representative Peter Meredith (D-St. Louis) criticized Smith's proposal on social media, saying, "That's right, if you believe a law passed by the MO GOP violates your rights and freedom of speech and choose to sue the state over it (not even with public dollars from what I can tell), you can expect the MO GOP to take away all your funding."

According to the Missouri Independent, the budget committee reviewed Smith's proposal yesterday and will meet again tomorrow to vote on the revisions.

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