| Vote Recommendation | Economic Freedom | Property Rights | Personal Responsibility | Limited Government | Individual Liberty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vote Yes; Amend | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Positive | Positive |
SB 13 would prohibit most public employers from automatically deducting membership dues from public employee paychecks for employee organizations such as unions and associations and transferring those to their respective organizations. Some law enforcement and emergency services employers would be exempt from this prohibition as well as deductions made for a charitable organization.
Payroll deductions benefiting private organizations are not the responsibility of public employers to undertake. SB 13 would limit government by not allowing certain state resources to be used to help fund private organizations. At the same time the bill exempts state and municipal fire fighters, police officers, and emergency medical services personnel by allowing them to choose if they want membership dues to employee organizations deducted from their pay.
While we support this bill overall for its move in the right direction toward getting the government out of the business of making payroll deductions for private organizations, it could be made stronger with an amendment to eliminate exemptions so that all public employees pay their own organizational dues rather than relying on public employers to do it for them.