LA State Representative Reid Falconer claims to be a Republican. One look at HB 558 (Falconer) and you will likely agree with our opinion that HE IS NOT:
HB 558 (Falconer) will require employers to submit their employees' personal information to the Louisiana Workforce Commission when filing to pay the unemployment insurance tax to the state. Furthermore, that information will be required to be shared with The Louisiana Board of Regents and the Workforce Investment Council. The purpose of this will be to aid in the alignment of education to our state's workforce needs.
First of all, Without A Warrant, the state is not entitled to breach the citizens' individual & fundamental right to privacy. The state does not need the personal information of the citizenry and the constitution confirms our God given right to keep it from the state.
Secondly, It Is Not The State's Job To Ensure A Workforce. When the people of this state decided that the state should educate those citizens wishing to have a public education, it was done so in an effort to guarantee that our form of government would remain a Constitutional Republic. The citizens needed to be educated in order to choose freedom at the ballot box. The state has no authority to use this platform to train the citizens in any form of labor, nor does it have a right to offer its citizens as a labor force for industry.
Therefore, the state does not have a need to violate our right to privacy in order to inform policy. Policy is already established by the constitution and the job of our elected officials is to ensure that our rights are protected.
HB 558 is pending in the House Labor and Industrial Relations Committee. Please contact that committee chair, Rep. Patrick O. Jefferson and ask him to keep HB 558 off of the agenda.
It may also be a good idea to contact the other committee members and ask them to vote NO on HB 558 should it come up for a vote.