[JRutledge]

Kevin,

I think you are not reading what I am saying. You are talking about associations paying moneys and filing for workman’s comp when not a single association (in basketball) uses association funds and pays our officials where I live. As a matter of fact the lawyers in a few associations that I belong to have gone out of their way to take wording out of Association Constitutions so they make it clear that no games are paid through the associations. It is not an IRS issue if the association is not paying money to officials. Schools and leagues are paying officials, not local associations. Even in the playoffs the host schools pay the officials the game fees, not the IHSA. So all these legal issues you keep talking about has nothing to do with where I live. If someone wants to start a local association, they do not have to go through all those hoops to do so. What you have said does not apply to where many others live if they are assigned in a similar fashion as to where I live. I know in Indiana, almost all games are given directly from the schools. The associations play no assigning role what so ever. So an official’s association is not going to have the same legal issues as you have described. Also independent contractor laws and many employment issues are state laws, they are not federal laws. That is why Texas can have no income tax and other places have income taxes. This is why I told everyone that they need to talk to their local individuals that would know these kinds of things. I know for a fact that no association where I live is “sub contracting” officials for anything. Also as a treasure of an organization at one time, we did not file taxes forms for paying officials. Our only focus was to train officials and run camps and other activities to the dues paying members.

Peace