STOP THE CALIFORNIA TALENT AGENCIES ACT

August 16, 2013

For some six decades, the personal management profession has been negatively impacted by the California Labor Commission’s enforcement of the California Talent Agencies Act (TAA). Multi-millions of dollars in commissions have been forfeited by personal managers from California to New York by order of the California Labor Commission. Now, with your help, we want to Stop TAA!

With the encouragement of the Music Managers Forum - US and the Talent Managers Association Inc., The National Conference of Personal Managers has petitioned a U. S. Court to seek injunctive and declarative relief by asking the court to find the California Talent Agencies Act and the Labor Commissioner's enforcement of TAA to be unconstitutional under the provisions of the U. S. constitution and to stop the California Labor Commissioner from enforcement of the Talent Agencies Act (TAA).

The claims in this action are numerous: that the California Talent Agencies Act is unconstitutional and the Labor Commissioner’s enforcement of the Act also has been unconstitutional:

    (1) TAA is violative of the equal protection and due process provisions of the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution;

    (2) TAA is violative of the contracts clause and the commerce clause of Article One of the US Constitution;

    (3) TAA is violative of the free speech and freedom of association provisions of the First Amendment of the US Consittution; and

    (4) Because the Commissioner disgorges our commissioned salaries and all Americans are guaranteed the right to the benefit of their labor “except as a punishment for a crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted,” and the TAA specifically state that no violation related to unlicensed procurement can be considered a crime, the Labor Commissioner's enforcement is also violative of the 13th Amendment of the US Constitution.

To research, write and file the complaint, prepare the briefs, manage the file and argue the case costs money. And while the three personal management organizations are proud to be championing this legal initiative, none have the financial wherewithal to fund this project.

That’s where you come in. Individual managers are being asked to contribute at least $200 to the TAA Legal Fund; Personal management firms are asked to contribute $500 to $1,000 or more. The goal is to create a $75,000 war chest.

With your support, personal managers can unite to STOP TAA NOW! Click HERE to contribute.