2007 PRESS RELEASES

February 21, 2007

House committee passes union bailout bill
Bill intended to circumvent pending U.S. Supreme Court decision

OLYMPIA—The House Committee on State Government & Tribal Affairs passed HB 2079 out of committee by a 6-3 vote with a “do pass” recommendation. This bill amends a state law that requires unions to get permission from non-member agency fee payers before spending their dues on political activity.

HB 2079 amends a section of Initiative 134, passed by 72 percent of voters in 1992. The law is currently before the U.S. Supreme Court, which is reviewing the cases of Washington v. Washington Education Association and Davenport v. Washington Education Association. The Washington Education Association was penalized by the Thurston County Superior Court in 2001 for intentionally violating the law. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on the case in June, and many experts expect the Court to uphold the law as constitutional.

“House Bill 2079 is premature, unnecessary and possibly unconstitutional,” said Michael Reitz, legal counsel for the Evergreen Freedom Foundation. “The law clearly states that unions must get permission before spending non-member fees on political activity, and House Bill 2079 uses an accounting gimmick to allow unions to get around the requirement.”

While not taking a position on the legislation, Assistant Attorney General Thomas Wendel testified at a committee hearing that there are constitutional concerns with the bill, and the bill could set Washington state up for additional litigation.

Additional Information

House State Government & Tribal Affairs Committee Hearing
http://www.tvw.org/MediaPlayer/Archived/WME.cfm?EVNum=2007021252&TYPE=A

House Bill 2079
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=2079

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