WHEREAS, 100 years ago the industrial revolution in the United States and the State of Washington resulted in an increasing number of hazardous workplaces, where serious workplace injuries and deaths were common and often resulted in destitution to injured workers and their families; and
     WHEREAS, The uncertainty of lawsuits was a heavy burden to Washington businesses creating strife between employers and employees, with questions of fault and negligence burdening the courts; and
     WHEREAS, Public opinion rapidly crystallized and demanded that the current system be replaced, prompting Governor M.E. Hay to appoint a commission that resulted in a bill introduced in the 12th Washington State Legislative Session as "The Workmen's Compensation Act"; and
     WHEREAS, House Bill 14, introduced by Representative Teats, a republican, was passed by the Senate with bipartisan support on March 7, 1911, and signed by the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate on March 9, 1911, and signed into law by Governor Hay on March 14, 1911, and became the first state workers' compensation law enacted in the nation, and the first constitutional compulsory state workers' compensation law to go into effect in the United States; and
     WHEREAS, Over the 100 years since the Washington "Workmen's Compensation Act" was enacted, hundreds of thousands of Washington workers who have become injured or ill as a result of their work and the families of workers who have died as a result of workplace accidents or diseases have received relief in the form of sure and certain medical, disability, rehabilitation, or survivor benefits; and
     WHEREAS, Hundreds of thousands of Washington businesses have been relieved of the uncertainty of a negligence-based litigation system; and
     WHEREAS, We recognize that our Workers' Compensation system will continue to evolve as we work collaboratively to refine and update it to maintain its historical value to both employers and workers as was intended by the original sponsors of the Workmen's Compensation Act of 1911;
     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Senate commemorate the 100th anniversary of Washington's Workers' Compensation system.