The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
APLS and GOP Chairman John Wahl
April 21, 2025 – MONTGOMERY, AL - Alabama Public Library Service (APLS) Chairman John Wahl announced that at his urging the state of Alabama is setting up a mechanism to protect local libraries. The provision is part of the education trust fund (ETF) budget that has already passes the State Senate.
This provision would ensure that Alabama's library grants will remain funded even if the federal government withdraws its support. The federal government is hopelessly in debt and hemorrhaging funds at an astounding rate – particularly for a nation that has an excellent economy and is not at war. In a desperate effort to rein in the growing budget deficit, federal museum and library grants may be terminated as part of the overall effort to restore some semblance of fiscal sanity.
Chairman Wahl has worked closely with members of the Alabama Legislature for more than a month to secure this protection in case the feds actually carry out this plan.
The measure was included in the State Senate's education budget, which passed two weeks ago with bipartisan support. The provision would provide dollar-for-dollar replacement of any federal funds that might be withdrawn from the state of Alabama.
Alabama – unlike the federal government – operates on a balanced budget and doesn't run up massive deficits.
"This is a major win for Alabama families and our local libraries," said Chairman Wahl. "We've not only taken steps to ensure that our libraries reflect the values of our communities-we've also made sure they're financially secure. No matter what happens at the federal level, our libraries will continue to have the resources they need to serve the public."
The APLS Board, after a turbulent two years, seeks to strengthen public trust in the state's library system. Chairman Wahl said that under his leadership, APLS has championed policies aimed at protecting children from exposure to sexually explicit content and empowering parents to decide what their children should or should not be exposed to. The new funding provision falls under recent APLS code changes designed to make Alabama libraries welcoming places for all families.
"We've been working hard to safeguard our children from sexually explicit books and inappropriate materials. We want to ensure that every family in Alabama feels welcome in our libraries," Wahl said. "Now, we're also making sure those libraries have the funding they need to keep serving their communities. This is about more than books-it's about trust, accountability, and serving our communities. Real public service is supposed to look like this-listening to parents, supporting families, and delivering solutions that work."
If approved by the Alabama House of Representatives, Alabama will become the first state in the country to implement this kind of funding guarantee.
"Libraries are a vital part of our communities," Wahl continued. "They should be safe, welcoming places for everyone-especially our children. With this funding in place, Alabama is taking the lead in showing how we can protect both values and access, without compromising either."
Wahl is also the Chairman of the Alabama Republican Party.
No one knows whether or not Congress will actually attempt to balance the federal budget deficit
Annual federal spending is $7.1 trillion. Of that over $2 trillion is deficit spending. Interest on the debt is now over $1.02 trillion and is more than the defense budget. At this point it seems highly unlikely that Congress has the will to implement any serious plan to restore any semblance of fiscal sanity.
Reader Comments(0)