BILL REQ. #: S-1575.1
State of Washington | 62nd Legislature | 2011 Regular Session |
Read first time 02/18/11. Referred to Committee on Labor, Commerce & Consumer Protection.
TO THE HONORABLE BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND
TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED, AND TO THE SECRETARY OF THE
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR:
We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of
the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully
represent and petition as follows:
WHEREAS, Throughout the current economic downturn, Washington State
has been able to provide millions of dollars of unemployment insurance
benefits to hundreds of thousands of unemployed workers in the state
without sacrificing the solvency of the state's unemployment insurance
trust fund; and
WHEREAS, Washington has managed the state's unemployment insurance
trust fund in an exceptionally prudent and responsible manner, allowing
the state to fully pay unemployment insurance benefits without seeking
a loan from the federal unemployment account; and
WHEREAS, As of February 9, 2011, thirty states and one territory
have outstanding loans from the federal unemployment account totaling
over 42 billion dollars; and
WHEREAS, Federal and state unemployment insurance taxes in states
with outstanding loans must be raised significantly to pay back the
federal unemployment account loans and interest due on the loans; and
WHEREAS, Current legislative proposals seek various changes to
unemployment loan repayment provisions, including allowing states with
outstanding loans to forego or delay interest payments; and
WHEREAS, Providing relief from interest and other payments in
states that have failed to adequately fund their unemployment insurance
trust fund and borrowed from the federal unemployment account has the
effect of penalizing Washington state and Washington state unemployment
tax paying employers who have maintained a healthy and solvent trust
fund throughout the economic recession;
NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully request that the
United States Department of Labor provide Washington state and
Washington state unemployment tax paying employers with federal
unemployment tax relief or a financial benefit equal to any benefit
provided to employers in states who have had to borrow from the federal
unemployment account.
BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately
transmitted to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of the United
States, the Secretary of the United States Department of Labor, the
President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of
Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of
Washington.