ST. LOUIS–Missouri’s Secretary of State said work would begin Friday to go through more than 16,000 comments submitted by Thursday’s deadline on a proposed rule change that would tie a public library’s ability to receive state funding to having published policies for age-appropriate material.

Libraries would also need a posted policy to allow “any minor’s parent or guardian to determine what materials and access will be available to a minor, and no person employed by or acting on behalf of the library shall knowingly grant access to any minor any material in any form not approved by the minor’s parent or guardian.

The rule change was opposed by the Missouri Library Association, The ACLU and the Missouri Association of School Librarians over fears that it will lead to censorship.

“I think most of the comments were ‘I hate this’ or ‘I love this,’’ which neither of those help because they don't say why you love it or why you hate it or what you think would make it better or what you think should be changed about it so unfortunately, I think most of the comments, those 16,000 we're gonna go through pretty quickly,” Ashcroft told Spectrum News Friday.

Ashcroft suggested that he was open to constructive suggestions for improvement, including in the area of the rule that says “no funds received shall be used to purchase or acquire materials in any form that appeal to the prurient interest of any minor.” He said he hoped libraries have suggested alternatives to the word “prurient”.

Critics have accused Ashcroft, believed to be eyeing a run for Governor in 2024, of using the rule to score points with Republican primary voters, an assertion he again denied Friday saying he was just doing his job.

“They should be able to make sure that person A's son has access to this material while patron B's 3-year old-doesn't. There ought to be a way to set that up and I've left that up to the library through the rule,” he said.

The submitted comments will ultimately be available for public review, with the rule set to go before the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, made up of members of the Missouri House and Senate.

Ashcroft said he expects to see an approved rule in effect by sometime in March or April.