ABC Members and Staff Descended on Olympia for ABC’s “Day in Olympia”
Aran's Political Corner: No Changes to WA’s UI System
ABC members and staff descended on Olympia for ABC’s “Day in Olympia" on Tuesday, January 26th. ABC members and staff from both the Western Washington and Inland Pacific Chapters attended this event. Attendees first met with lobbyists and got an update on issues of importance to ABC members, such as workers’ compensation reform, prevailing wage, insurance and liability issues, and more.
Next, members made their way to Washington’s historic Legislative Building and were treated to a presentation from Rep. Dan Kristiansen (R – Monroe) who serves as the Republican Caucus Chair and is also a contractor. Rep. Hans Dunshee (D – Snohomish), and Rep. Judy Warnick (R – Kittitas) also spoke to the audience. The final speaker was Governor Christine Gregoire, who briefly spoke about Washington’s current economy and employment outlook.
After the presentations, there was a meet-and-greet opportunity for members to meet their legislators in person. After the networking session, members had dinner with Rep. Kristiansen as well as Rep. Bruce Chandler (R – Yakima). Rep. Chandler owns and operates a commercial fruit orchard in Eastern Washington, and has always been a strong voice for the business community while sitting on the House Commerce & Labor and Ways and Means committees.
ABC would like to thank the following members for attending and being involved in the political process: Amanda Grindle (Saybr Contractors), Jeremy Stendera (APEX), Erin VerHoeven (Corstone Contractors LLC), Cary Berger (KC Charles, Inc.), Shane Miller (DIVCON, Inc.), Ryan Haggard (Haggard Electrical Contractors), and Joan Baldwin (TEC Mechanical Service Co.).
If you would like to get more involved in the legislative process, you can sign up for ABC’s Legislative Action Team. The LAT receives regular updates on legislation, invitations to fundraisers and other legislative events, and can participate in bi-monthly conference calls with ABC lobbyists. If you are interested in becoming part of the LAT, contact Vice President of Government and Labor Affairs Aran Buchan at (425) 646-8000, or (800) 640-7789.
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Lawmakers in Olympia are currently considering costly benefit expansions in the unemployment insurance system that will raise unemployment taxes even higher than they are now.
Both bills are sponsored by Rep. Kohl-Welles (D – Seattle). Senate Bill 6334 expands unemployment benefits to an employee even if they quit voluntarily. Senate Bill 6526 will allow some individuals to seek part-time employment while maintaining eligibility for unemployment insurance. If passed into law, both of these bills will increase unemployment insurance taxes.
Every Washington employer experienced an increase in their unemployment insurance taxes this year, and many experienced increases exceeding 500 percent. These taxes are projected to increase again next year due to the slower than predicted economic recovery.
Given these economic times, now is not the time to increase unemployment insurance taxes. Allowing people to collect unemployment benefits after voluntarily leaving their jobs, simply because they were unhappy, is contrary to what should be the goal of the unemployment insurance trust fund. Currently, there are already concerns that the trust fund will become insolvent as we move forward, and expanding benefits in the ways laid out by SB 6334 and SB 6526 only hasten that outcome.
The governor recently stated that she wanted to “do no harm” to our economy and employers. But each of these changes – all endorsed by Gov. Gregoire – will most certainly harm the economy because it will raise employer taxes. That means more businesses will be looking to cover more costs, at a time when many are just getting by.
These proposed benefit increases will jeopardize jobs, prevent employers from hiring new people and threaten the stability of thousands of employers of all sizes, statewide. It’s up to the Washington State Legislature to make the right decision - don’t make ANY changes to Washington’s unemployment insurance system.
UPDATE 2/24/10: Both bills expanding unemployment benefits and therefore increasing unemployment insurance taxes failed to complete the committee process in the 2010 legislature. However, these bills may surface again in future sessions, so ABC will continue to monitor them.
To get regular updates on legislative issues, join ABC's Legislative Action Team on LinkedIn.
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