Without comment, Gov. Sam Brownback on Monday signed into law a bill that bars public employee unions from taking voluntary deductions from members’ paychecks to help finance political activities.

House Bill 2022 was sought by the Kansas Chamber of Commerce and conservative legislators.

They argued that state and local government agencies processing payrolls shouldn’t be involved in the transactions that divert money to political action committees. They also contended that people were being coerced into making this contributions.

Opponents, including the Kansas National Education Association and Kansas Organization of State Employees, said the paycheck deductions are voluntary and the bill was a thinly disguised attempt to weaken the political influence of public employee unions.