Arkansas Library Board again refuses to block funds to certain public libraries

Six members of the Arkansas State Library Board stonewalled fellow member Jason Rapert’s attempts Friday to get the board to withhold funds from certain libraries.

Rapert has been trying since February to restrict or withhold state funding to some libraries for their involvement in a lawsuit over Act 372 of 2023, a law that would change how libraries handle controversial material and make librarians criminally liable for distributing content that some deem “obscene” or “harmful to minors.” A federal judge temporarily blocked two sections of the law last year shortly before it took effect. A trial in that case is scheduled for October.

The former state senator from Conway offered three different motions to withhold funds from libraries on Friday, all of which failed to obtain a second from other board members.

Rapert and board member Shari Bales of Hot Springs, both appointed to by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders last year, spoke over each other as they debated whether the board has the authority to withhold state funds or ban books.

“We have the authority to decide how we dispense those funds,” Rapert said as he tried to read excerpts from controversial books that some conservatives in Arkansas have sought to remove from public library shelves or have stashed in hard-to-access areas.

Bales countered that state law and board bylaws make the board responsible for setting policy for the State Library only, “not every library in the state.” The board’s duty is to disburse the funds authorized by the Legislature, she said.

“Our opinions about these books don’t matter,” Bales said.

She suggested Rapert run for office again if he thinks the law should change or speak to legislators, specifically mentioning Sen. Dan Sullivan, the main sponsor of Act 372. The Jonesboro Republican was in the audience and said, “I’m here.”

Rapert’s first motion Friday sought to withhold funds from public libraries involved in the federal lawsuit over Act 372. His second motion sought to withhold funds from any library that refuses to segregate books deemed offensive to the community from general access to library patrons.

The back-and-forth between Rapert and Bales began when he asked that the room’s projector screen display pages from two books he criticized as inappropriate for minors – “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” by George M. Johnson and “Gender Queer,” by Maia Kobabe. The pages were posted on a website (takebacktheclassroom.com) that purports to help parents remove “explicit” and pornographic books from school libraries.

Before Rapert could read an excerpt from “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” Bales objected to “the reading of pornography in a public forum.”

“But you don’t object to it being available to kids,” Rapert responded.

Bales: “I did object and stated that more than once.”

Rapert: “You don’t vote to stop it.”

Bales: “We cannot stop it, Mr. Rapert.”

Rapert: “Yes you can.”

Bales: “We do not ban books on this board!”

Rapert: “This is not banning books.”

“Yes it is,” Bales shouted.

Rapert, founder and president of the National Association of Christian Lawmakers, read the excerpt from “All Boys Aren’t Blue” and noted graphic images in “Gender Queer” before offering his first motion.

When that motion failed, he asked the board to withhold funds from any library that doesn’t segregate 30 books in a restricted area, which also failed to receive a second.

“Every time you vote or don’t vote, you’re telling the people of Arkansas you don’t care,” Rapert said after his second motion.

When his third motion – to stop providing funds to the American Library Association – died, Rapert said he would bring the defunding motions back at all future board meetings. It’s not clear that the board provides any funds to the ALA.

The board’s failure to vote on his motions was a vote against “decency” not a vote for censorship, Rapert said in response to board member Pamela Meredith, who said, “I will never vote for censorship.”

“This body has the absolute ability to say we’re not going to give money to a library that’s putting pornographic material in front of children,” he said.

At one point, Rapert said he supported abolishing the board if “they won’t do their duty.” He said some legislators have contacted him and said, “If that board won’t do its job, we’ll just abolish the board and give the duties to the secretary of education.

“And unless the board acts, I say, amen, destroy it and put it in the hands of somebody who knows you shouldn’t be putting pornography in front of children.”