Tacoma health official’s candidacy might break law

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — A Tacoma public health official’s candidacy for the state House of Representatives might break federal law.

The News Tribune reports that the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department’s deputy director, Laurie Jinkins, might be prohibited from running for partisan office by the 1939 Hatch Act.

The law bars career executive branch workers from engaging in partisan political activities, and the ban extends to employees of state or local executive agencies that receive federal money.

Jinkins told the newspaper she doesn’t think the law applies to her because her salary isn’t paid by federal funds and she doesn’t make decisions about how to spend federal money. She also noted she’s on leave during the campaign.

But the U.S. Office of Special Counsel told the newspaper that whether an employee is on leave is irrelevant. The News Tribune cited other lawyers who say it doesn’t matter whether her salary is paid by the federal government.

___

Information from: The News Tribune, http://www.thenewstribune.com