Smith said he's upset that state and school libraries are suing to overturn a new Missouri law that bans sexually explicit material in school libraries. He said the state shouldn't subsidize the lawsuit with funding.
The ACLU, the Missouri Association of School Librarians and the Missouri Library Association in February asked the Circuit Court in Kansas City to find the law unconstitutional or clarify how and when it applies.
MISSOURI LEGISLATURE LATEST TO JOIN TAX RELIEF BANDWAGON
A top Missouri lawmaker moved to strip state funding by $4.5M for public libraries.
The law does not apply to written descriptions of sex or sexual acts; only photos, drawings, videos and other visual depictions are prohibited.
Librarians and other school officials face up to a year in jail or a $2,000 fine for violating the policy, which makes it a crime to provide minors with sexually explicit visual material. Exceptions are provided for works of art, science classes and other educational courses.
Smith’s proposal needs approval from the Budget Committee before it can go before the full House.