Arkansas GOP senator wants state to stop funding library advocates — but they don’t get state dollars

After an Arkansas judge fired a county library manager at the request of a Republican-led committee, a GOP state senator is calling on the state to defund the Arkansas Library Association (ArLA), an organization that and locates for public libraries and librarians, News From The States reports. However, the organization does not receive state funding.

Senator Dan Sullivan's demand comes after ArLA president Carol Coffey declined to attend an Arkansas Legislature Joint Performance Review committee meeting Tuesday due to the organization's involvement in an ongoing federal lawsuit against the state, according to the report.

As a plaintiff in the case, the report notes, the organization is challenging Sullivan-sponsored legislation — parts of which were "temporarily blocked" by a federal judge in July over its intention to "alter libraries' material reconsideration processes and create criminal liability for librarians who distribute content that some consider 'obscene' or 'harmful to minors.'"

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Sullivan asked for the discussion to center on ArLA's work, and as a result of Coffey's absence, the GOP lawmaker determined he would aim to keep the organization from receiving state funding until an ArLA representative commits to attending a meeting.

"If they want to be independent of the state and decline all state dollars, that's fine with me," the Republican senator said.

News From The States reports, "But the Arkansas Library Association does not receive state funding and never has, Coffey said. Local libraries receive public funds, and many are ArLA members, but this membership has not determined libraries' receipt of public funds in the past, she said."

According to the report, Coffey said, "We are a nonprofit trade association. We are not a state agency."

READ MORE: 'Partisan politics': Arkansas judge ousts librarian without reason at GOP board’s request

News From The States' full report is available at this link.