Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Local Government topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee holds bill that would bar local governments from funding Constitutional Sheriffs group
Summary
The committee discussed, then held, a bill that would prohibit municipalities and counties from using public funds to provide payments, dues, training or other support to the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association; members requested further research on naming an organization in code and alternatives to narrowly naming groups.
Committee members paused consideration of a bill that would prohibit local governments from using public funds to pay membership dues, training fees, consultant contracts, or other support to the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association.
During discussion members raised a set of technical and policy questions: whether the bill improperly names a private organization in statute, whether the organization's legal name is registered, and whether the measure would be easily circumvented if similar groups reconstituted under different names. Senators asked whether the language could be broadened to capture like-minded organizations without listing a particular group by name.
Committee members noted existing statutory examples that limit state or local funds for particular purposes but said they did not find obvious precedents that specifically name an external organization in statute. Several members agreed with the bill's stated intent but asked staff to research whether naming one group would achieve the broader policy objective and whether state or federal funding streams complicate enforcement.
At the close of discussion the committee voted to hold the bill to allow staff time to gather more information, including whether the organization is a registered entity and what drafting options exist to avoid easy workarounds.
