Columbia Democrat: Cody Smith's elimination of library funds from budget is government by blackmail

In an interview with KWIX in Moberly, Rep. Adrian Plank, D-Columbia, likened the decision by House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, (pictured) to eliminate library funding from the budget to "government by blackmail."

Smith removed all library funding after the Missouri Library Association, American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri and the Missouri Association of School Libraries sued the state over a new law limiting materials that are available in school libraries.

“We’ve got a situation where, you know, it’s more about strong arming, you know, taking the money out of the budget. That’s blackmail is all that is,” said Plank. “And so, whenever you use the government as blackmail that becomes a problem. The problem is literally attacking the libraries, where people still especially when it comes to low income especially in rural where internet is not necessarily always accessible, libraries are the place they gotta go to learn something.”