04/01/2008 01:30 PM Senate LABOR & COMMERCE

         SB  77-USING UNION DUES FOR POLITICAL PURPOSES                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
2:23:47 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR ELLIS announced consideration of SB 77.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR BUNDE,  sponsor of  SB 77, explained  the purpose  of the                                                               
bill is prohibiting unauthorized use  of agency fees (union dues)                                                               
for  political  reasons. An  agency  fee  is  a  fee paid  to  an                                                               
organization by a non-union member.  This bill would require that                                                               
the employee  would have to  "opt in" or choose  affirmatively to                                                               
have his or  her dues used for the  specific purposes. Currently,                                                               
if the  member disagrees with  an activity,  he can go  through a                                                               
fairly complicated  procedure to get reimbursed  for that portion                                                               
of his agency fee that was used for the political activity.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  BUNDE  moved  to  report   SB  77  from  committee  with                                                               
individual recommendations and attached fiscal note(s).                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  ELLIS  objected  and  asked   if  a  public  employee  was                                                               
available to testify.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR BUNDE  replied that  he was referring  to a  concern that                                                               
this was  going to be  a yearly  opt-in procedure, but  it's only                                                               
once at the beginning of  a person's employment.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR STEVENS  said it seems  that it  is an issue  of fairness                                                               
and one should be able to choose how one's money is used.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
A  roll call  vote was  taken. Senators  Bunde and  Stevens voted                                                               
yea; Senators Davis and Ellis voted  nay; so SB 77 failed to move                                                               
from committee.