The Iowa House Education Committee voted 14-9 Tuesday to advance legislation removing state funding from public libraries that pay dues to state or national nonprofit organizations involved in government lobbying, like the Iowa Library Association or American Library Association.
The legislation, HF 284, proposes changes for eligibility to receive Enrich Iowa funds through the State Library of Iowa, restricting access for libraries that are members of nonprofit organizations promoting “federal and state legislation related to libraries and engages in advocacy efforts” at local, state and federal levels.
Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, D-Ames, said if there’s a good thing that has come out of discussions on the legislation, it is the affirmation that “Iowans really love their libraries.” In the subcommittee meeting on the legislation, opponents to the legislation said the proposal would strip funding from libraries that participate in state and national associations that provide assistance to public libraries like continuing education for staff or aid in implementing new policies or programs.
The legislation specifically targets organizations like the American Library Association, or ALA, which some supporters of the legislation have said have a “Marxist” agenda. But Rep. Heather Matson, D-Ankeny, highlighted grants from the ALA received by Iowa libraries in recent years like the Atlantic Public Library receiving grants to help improve services for adults and teenagers with developmental disabilities and the Marion Public Library receiving disaster relief funds following the 2020 derecho as evidence that participation in these organizations provides a material, non-political benefit to libraries.
“This does not sound like a Marxist agenda to me,” Matson said. “… This bill is another in a line of fearmongering that simply isn’t true. It is a false flag, and it assumes worst intentions.”
But Rep. Helena Hayes, R-New Sharon, said the measure would not prevent public libraries from seeking and receiving grants. Hayes said at the subcommittee meeting that listeners could determine for themselves if the ALA has a “Marxist agenda,” reading statements from the national organization and the affiliated Iowa Library Association, that state there are “institutionalized inequalities based on race” and supporting educational efforts that focus on issues like “unconscious bias” and “microaggressions.”
She also said the measure was focused on the ALA and the ILA following statements regarding the Iowa law related to the ban on school books containing descriptions or depictions of sex acts and instruction related to gender identity and sexual orientation. The organizations stated they support “freedom to access information without censorship or undue restrictions,” she said.
“Basically: any book, any age, any time,” Hayes said of the library association’s stance on book restrictions. “That’s difficult for a lot of parents to swallow. There’s perhaps a lack of common sense in that, and it’s pretty clear to all of us that there’s been a lack of response across the state of Iowa.”
Robin Opsahl covers the Iowa Legislature and politics for Iowa Capital Dispatch, where this story first appeared.
