Missouri Republicans proposed defunding public libraries. That would hurt rural communities most

Missouri library leaders say a plan by state legislators to strip funding for public libraries across the state would weaken rural libraries, and likely violates the state constitution.
Missouri library leaders are decrying a plan by state legislators to strip funding for public libraries.

In March, the Missouri House of Representatives approved a budget that would eliminate $4.5 million in state funding for public libraries. The move comes after the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Missouri Association of School Librarians and the Missouri Library Association. That challenges a 2022 state law prohibiting sexually explicit content in school libraries. The lawsuit argues the Missouri law violates the First Amendment.