Freedom Foundation responds to Inslee signing SB 6199

Maxford Nelsen
March 28, 2018

OLYMPIA—The Freedom Foundation released the following statement in response to the signing of SB 6199 by Gov. Jay Inslee this afternoon:

It is disappointing, though not surprising, to see Gov. Inslee prioritize his special interest campaign donors above the caregivers and taxpayers of Washington. By the time he signed SB 6199, more than 1,000 individual providers had contacted the governor’s office asking him to veto the bill. Though their voices have been ignored by the majority party in the Legislature and now the governor, the Freedom Foundation remains committed to protecting caregivers’ First Amendment rights as recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court and making sure SEIU’s exploitation of caregivers comes to an end. SB 6199 will take effect over years, not days, and we anticipate it will be subject to numerous legal challenges along the way. This fight is far from over.

– Maxford Nelsen, Director of Labor Policy

For more information about SB 6199, please refer to the Freedom Foundation’s recent op-ed in The Seattle Times:

Maxford Nelsen, “Forcing union membership is no way to run government-funded home health care,” The Seattle Times, March 28, 2018.

- Press Release, Washington
, 6199, Inslee, SEIU 775

Maxford Nelsen

Director of Research and Government Affairs

mnelsen@freedomfoundation.com

As the Freedom Foundation’s Director of Research and Government Affairs, Maxford Nelsen leads the team working to advance the Freedom Foundation’s mission through strategic research, public policy advocacy, and labor relations. Max regularly testifies on labor issues before legislative bodies and his research has formed the basis of several briefs submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court. Max’s work has been published in local newspapers around the country and in national outlets like the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The Hill, National Review, and the American Spectator. His work on labor policy issues has been featured in media outlets like the New York Times, Fox News, and PBS News Hour. He is a frequent guest on local radio stations like 770 KTTH and 570 KVI. From 2019-21, Max was a presidential appointee to the Federal Service Impasses Panel within the Federal Labor Relations Authority, which resolves contract negotiation disputes between federal agencies and labor unions. Prior to joining the Freedom Foundation in 2013, Max worked for WashingtonVotes.org and the Washington Policy Center and interned with the Heritage Foundation. Max holds a labor relations certificate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and graduated magna cum laude from Whitworth University with a bachelor’s degree in political science. A Washington native, he lives in Olympia with his wife and sons.