House State Government Committee Advances Paycheck Protection Legislation

From PA Chamber of Business & Industry

In late November, the House State Government Committee held a voting meeting where two bills were advanced to the House floor that would bar public employers from using taxpayer-funded public systems to automatically deduct from employees’ paychecks campaign contributions or any portion of union dues intended for political activity.

House Bill 1174 and Senate Bill 166 (which passed the Senate earlier this year) both cleared the committee on a party-line vote, with Democrats voting in the negative. Commonly referred to as “paycheck protection” legislation, such measures have been introduced and hotly debated in previous sessions. The organized labor community has strongly opposed any change to the status quo while other groups have advocated ensuring that government resources aren’t being used for political purposes.

The PA Chamber supports paycheck protection bills as good government measures; and previously observed that arrests and convictions of several lawmakers and staffers in recent years have shown that a clear line must be maintained to avoid any use of taxpayer resources for political activity.

Both bills now await further consideration by the full House.