Florida Senate - 2011                          SENATOR AMENDMENT
       Bill No. CS for HB 1021
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Barcode 762046                          
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
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       Senators Thrasher, Gaetz, and Gardiner moved the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Delete everything after the enacting clause
    4  and insert:
    5         Section 1. Subsections (1) and (3) of section 110.114,
    6  Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
    7         110.114 Employee wage deductions.—
    8         (1) The state or any of its departments, bureaus,
    9  commissions, and officers are authorized and permitted, with the
   10  concurrence of the Department of Financial Services, to make
   11  deductions from the salary or wage of any employee or employees
   12  in such amount as shall be authorized and requested by such
   13  employee or employees and for such purpose as shall be
   14  authorized and requested by such employee or employees and shall
   15  pay such sums so deducted as directed by such employee or
   16  employees. The concurrence of the Department of Financial
   17  Services shall not be required for the deduction of a certified
   18  bargaining agent’s membership dues deductions pursuant to s.
   19  447.303 or any deductions authorized by a collective bargaining
   20  agreement.
   21         (3) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (1) and
   22  (2), the deduction of an employee’s membership dues deductions
   23  as defined in s. 447.203(15) for an employee organization as
   24  defined in s. 447.203(11) shall be authorized or permitted only
   25  for an organization that has been certified as the exclusive
   26  bargaining agent pursuant to chapter 447 for a unit of state
   27  employees in which the employee is included. Such deductions
   28  shall be subject to the provisions of s. 447.303. Deductions may
   29  not be made, directly or indirectly, for the purposes of any
   30  political activity, including contributions to a candidate,
   31  political party, political committee, committee of continuous
   32  existence, electioneering communications organization, or
   33  organization exempt from taxation under s. 501(c)(4) or s. 527
   34  of the Internal Revenue Code.
   35         Section 2. Subsection (1) of section 112.171, Florida
   36  Statutes, is amended to read:
   37         112.171 Employee wage deductions.—
   38         (1) The counties, municipalities, and special districts of
   39  the state and the departments, agencies, bureaus, commissions,
   40  and officers thereof are authorized and permitted in their sole
   41  discretion to make deductions from the salary or wage of any
   42  employee or employees in such amount as shall be authorized and
   43  requested by such employee or employees and for such purpose as
   44  shall be authorized and requested by such employee or employees
   45  and shall pay such sums so deducted as directed by such employee
   46  or employees. However, deductions may not be made, directly or
   47  indirectly, for the purposes of any political activity,
   48  including contributions to a candidate, political party,
   49  political committee, committee of continuous existence,
   50  electioneering communications organization, or organization
   51  exempt from taxation under s. 501(c)(4) or s. 527 of the
   52  Internal Revenue Code.
   53         Section 3. Section 447.18, Florida Statutes, is created to
   54  read:
   55         447.18 Written authorization required to expend certain
   56  employee dues, assessments, fines, or penalties.—
   57         (1) A labor organization may not, directly or indirectly,
   58  collect dues, uniform assessments, fines, penalties, or special
   59  assessments or other funds paid by an employee to make
   60  contributions or expenditures, as defined in s. 106.011, for the
   61  purposes of political activity, including contributions to a
   62  candidate, political party, political committee, committee of
   63  continuous existence, electioneering communications
   64  organization, or organization exempt from taxation under s.
   65  501(c)(4) or s. 527 of the Internal Revenue Code, without the
   66  express written authorization of the employee. The written
   67  authorization must be executed by the employee separately for
   68  each fiscal year of the labor organization and shall be
   69  accompanied with a detailed account, provided by the labor
   70  organization, of all contributions and expenditures for
   71  political activities made by the labor organization in the
   72  preceding 24 months. The labor organization shall maintain
   73  detailed records relating to any such collections of
   74  contributions used, directly or indirectly, for political
   75  activity. Such records of an employee organization, as defined
   76  in s. 447.203, are subject to review by the Public Employees
   77  Relations Commission upon 30 days’ written request. An employee
   78  organization found to be in violation of this section shall be
   79  subject to a penalty of $1000 per day of noncompliance, and its
   80  registration with the Public Employees Relations Commission
   81  shall be suspended during the period of noncompliance.
   82         (2) The employee may revoke the authorization described in
   83  subsection (1) at any time. If an employee revokes the
   84  authorization, the employee is entitled to a pro rata reduction
   85  of such dues, uniform assessments, fines, penalties, or special
   86  assessments for the remainder of the fiscal year of the labor
   87  organization.
   88         (3) A labor organization may not require an employee to
   89  provide the authorization described in subsection (1) as a
   90  condition of membership in the labor organization.
   91         Section 4. Section 447.303, Florida Statutes, is amended to
   92  read:
   93         447.303 Dues; Deduction of dues for political activity
   94  prohibited and collection.—
   95         (1) Any employee organization that which has been certified
   96  as a bargaining agent may shall have the right to have its dues
   97  and uniform assessments deducted and collected by the employer
   98  from the salaries of those employees who authorize the deduction
   99  of said dues and uniform assessments provided that the
  100  deductions are authorized by a collective bargaining agreement.
  101  However, such authorization is revocable at the employee’s
  102  request upon 30 days’ written notice to the employer and
  103  employee organization. Said deductions shall commence upon the
  104  bargaining agent’s written request to the employer. Reasonable
  105  costs to the employer of the said deductions shall be a proper
  106  subject of collective bargaining. Such right to deduction,
  107  unless revoked pursuant to s. 447.507, shall be in force for so
  108  long as the employee organization remains the certified
  109  bargaining agent for the employees in the unit. The public
  110  employer is expressly prohibited from any involvement in the
  111  collection of fines, penalties, or special assessments.
  112         (2) A public employer may not deduct or collect, directly
  113  or indirectly, the dues, uniform assessments, fines, penalties,
  114  or special assessments of an employee organization from the
  115  compensation of any person employed by the public employer for
  116  the purposes of any political activity, including contributions
  117  to a candidate, political party, political committee, committee
  118  of continuous existence, electioneering communications
  119  organization, or organization exempt from taxation under s.
  120  501(c)(4) or s. 527 of the Internal Revenue Code.
  121         Section 5. If any provision of this act or its application
  122  to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the invalidity
  123  does not affect other provisions or applications of this act
  124  which can be given effect without the invalid provision or
  125  application, and to this end the provisions of this act are
  126  severable.
  127         Section 6. This act shall take effect July 1, 2011, and
  128  applies to all collective bargaining agreements entered into on
  129  or after that date.
  130  
  131  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
  132         And the title is amended as follows:
  133         Delete everything before the enacting clause
  134  and insert:
  135                        A bill to be entitled                      
  136         An act relating to labor and employment; amending s.
  137         110.114, F.S.; prohibiting a state agency from
  138         deducting from employee wages funds for political
  139         activity; amending s. 112.171, F.S.; prohibiting a
  140         county, municipality, or other local governmental
  141         entity from deducting from employee wages funds for
  142         political activity; creating s. 447.18, F.S.;
  143         prohibiting labor organizations from collecting dues,
  144         assessments, fines, or penalties for the purposes of
  145         political activity without written authorization;
  146         providing a penalty against employee organizations in
  147         violation of the section; requiring that the labor
  148         organization provide notice of such contributions and
  149         expenditures; prohibiting a labor organization from
  150         requiring an employee to authorize the collection of
  151         funds for political contributions and expenditures as
  152         a condition of membership in the organization;
  153         amending s. 447.303, F.S.; allowing dues deductions
  154         only when authorized by a collective bargaining
  155         agreement; prohibiting a public employer from
  156         deducting or collecting from employee wages the dues,
  157         uniform assessments, fines, penalties, or special
  158         assessments of an employee organization for the
  159         purposes of political activity; providing for
  160         severability; providing for prospective application;
  161         providing an effective date.