Rapert continues failed attempts to withhold funds from some libraries

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

Former Republican state Sen. Jason Rapert continued his efforts to withhold funds from libraries at a meeting of the Arkansas State Library Board Friday.

Rapert began his tenure on the board this year. At every meeting since then, Rapert has unsuccessfully tried to remove funding from Arkansas libraries over specific books in their collections. None of his motions at Friday's meeting received a second, meaning the group was not able to vote on them.

Rapert was especially upset about two memoirs with LGBTQ+ themes found in some Arkansas libraries: "All Boys Aren't Blue" by George M. Johnson and "Genderqueer" by Maia Kobabe. He said he had learned about the books on a website called Take Back the Classroom. The organization is funded by the conservative Capitol Resource Institute, a group working to end sex education in schools.

Rapert continues failed attempts to withhold funds from some libraries

Issues That Matter: Readers' Rights: A First Amendment Discussion on Book Bans

KUAR | By Daniel Breen

Across the country, libraries are becoming flash-points of conflict. Conservative advocacy groups, like Moms for Liberty, are clashing with librarians over restricting so-called controversial materials.

Arkansas is no exception, with high-profile fights cropping up in towns big and small.

Our panelists tackle the uncertainties surrounding book bans on Issues That Matter: Readers' Rights: A First

Amendment Discussion on Book Bans.Issues That Matter: Readers' Rights: A First Amendment Discussion on Book Bans

Bill to regulate libraries passes Arkansas House

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

A bill to regulate libraries passed a final vote in the Arkansas House of Representatives Wednesday.

Senate Bill 81 will create an identical book challenge policy for all libraries which can be appealed up to city and county government entities. The bill would criminalize librarians who furnish books deemed to be obscene.

Rep. Justin Gonzales, R-Okolona, presented the bill. He said the criticisms he had gotten on the bill were based on misunderstandings.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/local-regional-news/2023-03-16/bill-to-regulate-libraries-passes-arkansas-house

Sarah Kellogg/KUAR News

Senate Bill 81, a bill to regulate libraries in Arkansas, moved through its final legislative hurdle Wednesday.

Arkansas committee approves amended bill to hold libraries accountable for ‘obscene’ material

KUAR | By Tess Vrbin / Arkansas Advocate

A proposed Arkansas law that would open the door to criminal liability for the distribution of “obscene” content by school and public libraries passed a legislative panel and will go to the House floor after being amended.

Senate Bill 81 would add the loaning of library materials to the statute governing the possession and distribution of obscene material. Arkansas’ definition of obscenity is “that to the average person, applying contemporary community standards, the dominant theme of the material taken as a whole appeals to prurient interest,” with prurient meaning overtly sexual.

The bill would remove schools and public libraries from the part of Arkansas law that exempts them from prosecution “for disseminating a writing, film, slide, drawing, or other visual reproduction that is claimed to be obscene.”

Arkansas Legislature

The House Judiciary Committee discusses Senate Bill 81 on March 9, 2023.