Bill filed in legislature would abolish the Arkansas State Library, put controls on public libraries
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A bill filed in the Arkansas legislature on Thursday would abolish the Arkansas State Library and its board and transfer its property to the state Department of Education.
Senate Bill 536 strikes down a significant part of the current state library law and would have the education department transfer its collections to digital archives. Removing the library board would also change the oversight of libraries that receive state funding in communities and schools, including colleges.
Four takeaways from the 10th week of the 95th Arkansas General Assembly
The bill calls for the Department of Education to prohibit access to 'age-inappropriate materials' to anyone 16 years old or younger under its library oversight duties. Sex education materials would also be restricted for those 11 years old or younger.
Libraries would also be required to enact a policy allowing community members to request that material be restricted for youth.
According to the bill's terms, libraries that do not comply with the access restrictions would not receive state funding.
Bill putting Arkansas library board and AETN under Department of Education passes in committee
The legislation includes an emergency clause, meaning it would go into immediate effect if it becomes law.
The bill's primary sponsor is Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Jonesboro), with cosponsor Wayne Long (R-Bradford). Sullivan and Long sponsored earlier-filed legislation to abolish the state library and the Arkansas Educational Television Commission.
In a committee hearing earlier this week, Sullivan said that he had reached an agreement with the television commission and that the bill was no longer going forward. That hearing was for a Sullivan-sponsored amendment to state library funding to de-fund any state library affiliated with the American Library Association.
Amendment to tighten restrictions on libraries fails in committee
The amendment failed, as senators were concerned with its broad language.
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