Alabama Republican Party Chairman John Wahl is expressing appreciation for the help from Governor Kay Ivey as he continues to fight against sexually explicit books being available to children in libraries across Alabama.
Wahl, in his capacity as a member of the Alabama Public Library Service (ALPS) board, pushed forward a motion to adopt Gov. Ivey’s recommended amendments that address policies related to the physical location and relocation of sexually explicit material in order for public libraries to receive state funds.
The APLS Board unanimously voted to adopt the changes last week, which will be up for a final vote after an upcoming mandatory public comment period.
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“I am thankful for Kay Ivey’s work to address the location of sexually explicit books in our libraries, as well as her recommendations to the APLS board,” Wahl said. “Governor Ivey has been a strong advocate for protecting Alabama families, and finding common sense solutions that respect Alabama taxpayers.”
Ivey made the recommendations in a letter she sent to APLS Director Nancy Pack in October.
Her ideas included making state aid for local libraries contingent on the adoption of sensible policies to facilitate greater parental supervision of their children, requiring all expenditures of public funds to the American Library Association to be approved by the relevant governing authority in an open, public meeting, and reaffirming local libraries’ ability to respond to parental concerns about sexually explicit or other inappropriate materials.
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“Her recommended changes to the APLS code are a great step in addressing the issues we are facing in the youth sections of Alabama libraries, while also helping to make sure parents are in control of what their children are exposed to,” Wahl said.
“Taxpayer money should never be used to push a Marxist agenda from the American Library Association, and Alabama families should never have to worry about their children accidentally stumbling across sexually explicit books in the youth section. I hope we can all agree that libraries should be a safe place for our kids. I look forward to working with the Governor to make sure parents can trust their local libraries in every area and as soon as possible. It is time to be responsible with taxpayer money and protect our children from inappropriate content.”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
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