Z-1176               _______________________________________________

                                                   HOUSE BILL NO. 1775

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1988 Regular Session

By Representatives Wang, Patrick, Sayan, R. King, P. King, Todd and Ebersole; by request of Employment Security Department

Read first time 1/25/88 and referred to Committee on Commerce & Labor.

AN ACT Relating to establishing a computerized labor market information system; amending RCW 50.16.070; creating new sections; making an appropriation; providing an effective date; and declaring an emergency.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     The legislature finds that the economic competitiveness of Washington state depends on the quality of employer human resources planning and evaluation decisions, such as those dealing with expansion, recruitment, training, competitive wage schedules, and relocation within Washington state.

          The legislature recognizes that the state has a vital interest in ensuring that employers have easy access and use of a broad range of labor market and training information in order to optimize their human resources planning and evaluation decisions.

          The legislature further recognizes that employers without accurate and timely access to available labor market and training information make less than optimal decisions regarding expansion, recruitment, training, competitive wage schedules, and possible relocation within the state.

          The legislature therefore directs the employment security department to develop smart computer software and related data base, consistent with its responsibilities under this title to minimize widespread unemployment and set up safeguards to prevent its recurrence.  This computerized labor market information  system will provide easy to use smart software and a related labor market and training information data base for the use of employers in their human resources planning and evaluation decisions.

        Sec. 2.  Section 7, chapter 13, Laws of 1983 1st ex. sess. and RCW 50.16.070 are each amended to read as follows:

          The federal interest payment fund shall consist of contributions payable by each employer (except employers as described in  RCW 50.44.010 and 50.44.030 who have properly elected to make payments in lieu of contributions, employers who are required to make payments in lieu of contributions, and employers paying contributions under RCW 50.44.035) for any calendar quarter which begins on or after January 1, 1984, and for which the commissioner determines that the department will have an outstanding balance of accruing federal interest at the end of the calendar quarter.  The amount of wages subject to tax shall be determined according to RCW 50.24.010.  The tax rate applicable to wages paid during the calendar quarter shall be determined by the commissioner and shall not exceed fifteen one-hundredths of one percent.  In determining whether to require contributions as authorized by this section, the commissioner shall consider the current balance in the federal interest payment fund and the projected amount of interest which will be due and payable as of the following September 30.  Unless otherwise provided by legislative appropriation, any excess moneys in the federal interest payment fund shall be retained in the fund for future interest payments.

          Contributions under this section shall become due and be paid by each employer in accordance with such rules as the commissioner may prescribe and shall not be deducted, in whole or in part, from the remuneration of individuals in the employ of the employer.  Any deduction in violation of this section is unlawful.

          In the payment of any contributions under this section, a fractional part of a cent shall be disregarded unless it amounts to one-half cent or more, in which case it shall be increased to one cent.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.     If any part of this act shall be found to be in conflict with federal requirements which are a prescribed condition to the allocation of federal funds to the state, such conflicting part of this act is hereby declared to be inoperative solely to the extent of such conflict, and such finding or determination shall not affect the operation of the remainder of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.     There is appropriated from the federal interest payment fund to the employment security department for the biennium ending June 30, 1989, the sum of seventy-five thousand five hundred twenty-two dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary, to carry out the purposes of section 1 of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5.     This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, and safety, the support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and shall take effect July 1, 1988.