Missouri’s public libraries have faced rules and funding conditions from the Secretary of State’s office that encouraged censorship, restricted access, and pressured libraries to act out of fear rather than professional judgment.

HB3178 (2026) offers a clear and necessary fix to how those rules are written. 

The bill updates Missouri law governing state aid to public libraries to require that all rules and regulations comply with the First Amendment, Missouri’s Constitution, and federal and state civil rights laws. It also requires a review of existing rules to ensure they meet those standards.

This legislation does not dictate library collections or programming. Instead, it restores the rule of law by ensuring that the Secretary of State cannot use administrative rules or funding approvals to apply political and social pressure on libraries or force them to censor books or exclude people’s stories from the library shelves. It will protect libraries from future administrative overreach and politicization, no matter who holds office.

Missouri legislators need to hear from library supporters now. Please use this form to ask your State Representative to co-sponsor HB3178 and help advance it this session. Your message will make a real difference.