ABC Texas Testimony on SB 2330
Testimony of Ana Grace Husted, Director of Advocacy & Outreach
Associated Builders and Contractors of Texas, before the Texas State Senate Committee on Business and Commerce
Chairman and Members of the Committee:
My name is Ana Grace Husted, and I’m here today on behalf of the Associated Builders and Contractors of Texas to express our strong support for Senate Bill 2330. This legislation is a critical step toward ensuring that government remains neutral in labor relations and does not serve as a collection agent for private organizations.
SB 2330 prohibits governmental entities from processing union dues through payroll deduction. This reinforces a basic but important principle: taxpayer-funded payroll systems should not be used to facilitate financial transactions for private entities. Unions are private organizations. If they wish to collect dues from their members, they should do so directly—just like any other trade association, nonprofit, or membership-based organization in Texas.
Allowing union dues to be deducted through government payroll systems grants unions a unique privilege—one not extended to any other private entity—and does so at public expense. It also creates an administrative entanglement between public employers and private organizations that often engage in political and lobbying activity.
Importantly, this bill does not prevent any employee from joining a union or paying dues. It simply ensures that the responsibility for collecting those dues remains with the organization—not the government. Employees remain free to support their union through direct contributions or recurring payments, just as they would for any other voluntary membership.
SB 2330 promotes fairness, transparency, and a more appropriate boundary between government and private organizations. On behalf of our members, I respectfully urge the committee to support this bill and remove the state from a function it should never have assumed.
Thank you for your time. I’m happy to answer any questions.