Missouri Dem. lawmaker blasts state GOP for 'dystopian future' proposal to defund public libraries

Missouri Republicans want to defund public libraries.

Per Truthout, this comes after librarians challenged a recently proposed GOP-backed law banning "sexually explicit" books from schools and libraries, which has resulted in the elimination of "hundreds of" reads with"LGBTQ characters or racial justice themes," as well as "Holocaust history and human anatomy."

Heartland Signal tweeted a clip of Merideth's speech, writing, "MO State Rep. Peter Merideth (D) on a just-passed GOP budget defunding libraries: 'They actually took out all state aid for public libraries explicitly because librarians are suing over their First Amendment rights ... We are starting to live in a dystopian future from 1984.'"

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The state congressman is referring to State GOP Rep. Cody Smith's proposed bill, which would cut all funding for public libraries in the state, according to Truthout. The legislation was introduced "after a lawsuit was filed by the Missouri Libraries Association (MLA) in conjunction with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) against a state law that bans certain materials from schools and libraries."

Merideth said, "Often when we tell the public about the things that are getting voted on in here, they think when we, we tell them what happened just today, that's gotta be partisan rhetoric and hyperbole."

He continued, "It's not, these are the things actually passing."

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If the legislation is passed next week, Truthout reports:

School officials, including librarians, who are found in violation of the law are subject to fines of up to $2,000 and jail sentences of up to a year.

Merideth emphasized, "we're talking about book bans from the government and then the government being mad at librarians as the threat to our kids and defunding public libraries. That's the real world here today in Republica- led Missouri."

Watch the video below or at this link.

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Truthout's full report is available at this link.