Youth sports referees and umpires, many wearing their stripes, huddled around the Governor's conference table this morning as she signed House Bill 1636 into law. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Dave Upthegrove, clarifies that the small, nonprofit associations that refer amateur sports officials to schools and community sports events are not considered "employers" for unemployment insurance purposes.This clarification of law is crucial to keeping youth sports affordable.
At today's bill signing, Governor Gregoire told the referees and umpires in attendance, "My daughters are better today because they were involved in youth sports."
Rep. Upthegrove, who is a youth basketball referee in his non-legislative life, explains in this video clip why being an amateur sports official is more difficult than being a state representative.
You can read more about the bill here.
To read this blog post in Spanish, go here.
