As a State employee, I briefly look thru the different agencies in our State; Parks, Cultural Affairs, Education, Universities & Colleges, and Wildlife. These are areas in our society that are generally able to accept tax-deductible donations.
Is this true of these agencies? I wonder if it would be possible to create the option for State employees to pledge donations to these agencies as direct payroll reductions in lieu of any salary reductions. For example, I could sign a pledge and authorization to allow the State to withhold $100 (or a %) from each of my checks to pay towards one or more agency’s budget shortfall. This would benefit the agency and I could avoid a cut in pay that would affect my PERS (3 highest years of salary) benefits when I retire. If these agencies (or any agency) are not permitted to accept tax-deductible donations, can the legislature make it legal for them to do so? Or could we create non-profit charities that could accept donations and then give the money to the agency?
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