Public employees can still give to PAC with payroll deductions
EAST LANSING, Mich., Sept. 10, 2007 – Public employers who deduct employees’ voluntary contributions to political action committees (PAC) do not violate campaign finance laws despite an earlier decision by the secretary of state, a circuit court judge has ruled.
In overturning a Nov. 20, 2006, declaratory ruling by Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land, Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Brown said that public bodies, including school districts, can deduct PAC contributions from an employee’s payroll check as long as the costs of making the deductions are reimbursed by the PAC.
Michigan Education Association v. Terri Lynn Land stems from a question involving payroll deduction for employees of the Gull Lake Community Schools. Though the secretary of state and MEA have litigated for years regarding various requirements for payroll deduction of PAC, the 2006 ruling from Land was the first to claim such payroll deductions violated the Michigan Campaign Finance Act.
"Many public employees choose payroll deduction for their PAC contributions because it’s a convenient way to donate," said Art Przybylowicz, MEA General Counsel. "This legal victory allows them to continue to do so, just as their colleagues in the private sector can."
Land has 21 days to appeal the decision.