BILL REQ. #:  S-0104.1 

Read first time 01/19/2005.   Referred to Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research & Development.

     AN ACT Relating to prohibiting the employment security department from asking claimants about household spending; and amending RCW 50.38.060.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1   RCW 50.38.060 and 1993 c 62 s 6 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) To implement this chapter, the department ((has authority to)) may:
     (((1))) (a) Establish mechanisms to recover actual costs incurred in producing and providing otherwise nonfunded labor market information.
     (((a))) (i) If the commissioner, in his or her discretion, determines that providing labor market information is in the public interest, the requested information may be provided at reduced costs.
     (((b))) (ii) The department shall provide access to labor market information products that constitute public records available for public inspection and copying under chapter 42.17 RCW, at fees not exceeding those allowed under RCW 42.17.300 and consistent with the department's fee schedule;
     (((2))) (b) Receive federal set aside funds from several federal programs that are authorized to fund state and local labor market information and are required to use such information in support of their programs;
     (((3))) (c) Enter into agreements with other public agencies for statistical analysis, research, or evaluation studies of local, state, and federally funded employment, training, education, and job creation programs to increase the efficiency or quality of service provided to the public consistent with chapter 50.13 RCW;
     (((4))) (d) Coordinate with other state agencies to study ways to standardize federal and state multi-agency administrative records, such as unemployment insurance information and other information to produce employment, training, education, and economic analysis needed to improve labor market information products and services; and
     (((5))) (e) Produce agricultural labor market information and economic analysis needed to facilitate the efficient and effective matching of the local supply and demand of agricultural labor critical to an effective agricultural labor exchange in Washington state. Information collected for an agricultural labor market information effort will be coordinated with other federal, state, and local statistical agencies to minimize reporting burden through cooperative data collection efforts for statistical analysis, research, or studies.
     (2) To respect the privacy and dignity of individual claimants, the department may not survey current or former claimants regarding any claimant's household budget or the expenditure of his or her unemployment benefits.