Christine Gregoire and the Dems are starting to go after the Rethugs infrastructure in Washington now. Touche!!!
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Democrats try to rein in BIAW
By Ralph Thomas
Seattle Times Olympia bureau
Tom McCabe is the BIAW's executive vice president.
OLYMPIA — Democrats are taking a new tack with legislation critics say is aimed at muzzling the Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW), one of the state's most powerful conservative political voices.
Newly introduced legislation would bar associations from using money they make from workers'-compensation refunds for political purposes. Democrats and their labor-union allies argue the money should only be used for workplace safety and related purposes.
But Tom McCabe, the BIAW's executive vice president, said the legislation is a "blatant political retaliation" against his group and vowed to sue if it passes.
"It's a restriction on our rights to free speech," McCabe said.
The BIAW in recent years has spent several million dollars supporting conservative causes and Republican candidates. During last year's race for governor, the group sponsored some of the sharpest attacks against Democrat Christine Gregoire and is now helping lead the charge to overturn her election as governor.
The BIAW, which represents home builders across the state, is one of nearly 60 groups that run workers'-comp pools. Each year, the groups get state refunds if their members' premiums exceed claims. Defenders of the program say this creates an incentive for the industry groups to invest in workplace safety.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002177247_biaw11m.html
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