Gov. Sarah Sanders today appointed former state Sen. Jason Rapert to the Arkansas State Library Board. Sanders also appointed Shari Bales of Hot Springs to the board.
Rapert is founder and president of the National Association of Christian Lawmakers, a group whose mission is to “bring federal state and local lawmakers together in support of clear biblical principles,” according to its website. A former senator from Conway, he lost his bid for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor last year to Leslie Rutledge.
Social conservatives recently have been targeting librarians across the nation and in Arkansas for not removing or moving books or other materials they believe are harmful to mionrs. A state law that threatened librarians with criminal penalties and aimed to facilitate censorship is tied up in federal court.
Not too many Arkansans were likely familiar with the State Library Board before this appointment. But it seems likely that it will now become yet another point of division within the state, considering the panel has some control over public library financing.
That’s partly because Rapert generates controversy the way funerals bring on tears. He is known as an extreme anti-abortion crusader — more so than many Republicans — and isn’t shy about what he says online.
Consider a post he made on Twitter earlier this month following an election in Ohio that enshrined the right to an abortion in that state’s constitution and otherwise saw gains for Democrats in a number of places. “The Democrat Party is behind the radial LGBTQ insanity attacking our children through public libraries and activist teachers that are pushing homosexual pornography on minor children,” Rapert wrote.
He also equated Democrats with “antisemitic riots,” “the radical homosexual movement ,” and “the rise in atheists and satanism in our country” in the same post. “The future of #America is on the line and Christians are the only block of voters left to #SaveTheNation from the current march to the bottom of the pit of hell being led by the Democrat Party in our nation,” he continued.
The Devil may have won a few political battles in #America on Tuesday, November 7, 2023, but evil will soon be overcome by righteousness when more #Pastors become accountable for leading the congregations they serve to remember faith without works is dead.
— Jason Rapert (@jasonrapert) November 8, 2023
Across the country in… pic.twitter.com/gENg9sR0It
Rapert’s term on the board will expire Oct. 18, 2029. He succeeds Joan O’Neal, whose term on the seven-member board expired Oct. 22 of last year, according to the state library’s website.
The other new library board appointee, Shari Bales, is not as well-known a public figure as Rapert. Bales’ husband was an organizer of a boat parade supporting then-President Donald Trump in July 2020 at Lake Hamilton. In a social media post at the time, Bales invited Sanders to attend.
Bales’ term will run through Oct. 18, 2030. She succeeds Donna McDonald, whose term expired Oct. 18.
Rapert did not immediately return requests for comment. Bales said she was in a meeting and would comment later.
When asked questions about the library board’s responsibilities, compensation and other details, Arkansas Department of Education spokeswoman Kimberly Mundell forwarded the Arkansas Times a copy of the panel’s bylaws without additional explanation. (The state library is a part of the education department.)
According to the Arkansas State Library’s website, it is the “information resource center for state agencies, legislators and legislative staffs; provides guidance and support for the development of local public libraries and provides the resources, services, and leadership necessary to meet the educational, informational and cultural needs of the citizens of Arkansas.”
The state library also administers state and federal funds appropriated for libraries and library development.
Among the board’s other duties are these, according to the website:
- Enhancing access to libraries and information resources.
- Promoting the development, use and support of public libraries and information resources.
- Fostering the recruitment, training, and education of library personnel.