$18 Million Fine Levied to Grocery Assoc. That Fought GMO Labeling

From Agri-Pulse ,The Grocery Manufacturers Association says it will “vigorously pursue its legal options” to overturn $18 million in fines levied by a Washington State court judge Wednesday for alleged campaign violations associated with the group's opposition to a GMO labeling rule in 2013. “In light of all the evidence in the record, it is not credible that GMA executives believed that shielding GMA's members as the true source of contributions to GMA's Defense of Brands Account were legal,” Thurston County Superior Court Judge Anne Hirsch wrote in her ruling . The office of Washington Attorney General said the fine “is believed to constitute the largest campaign finance judgment in United States history.” The largest such fine in the state was $735,000 in 2000. GMA fired back quickly, saying it “believes that there is no basis in law or fact to support this unprecedented, inequitable and clearly excessive penalty.” And the spokesperson for the state Ag and Rural Leaders and Council of State Governements , Carolyn Orr, who tracks such issues for the State Ag and Rural Leaders says the groundswell of state minimum wage increases and overtime pay hikes are coming mostly in states already above the federal mandate and in her words generally “in any state that has much blue” (Democratic political governance),