SENATE BILL REPORT
HB 1612
As Passed Senate, March 1, 2022
Title: An act relating to making technical cross-reference corrections in statutes governing unemployment insurance.
Brief Description: Making technical cross-reference corrections in statutes governing unemployment insurance.
Sponsors: Representatives Sells, Berry, Wicks, Simmons and Harris-Talley; by request of Employment Security Department.
Brief History: Passed House: 2/9/22, 95-0.
Committee Activity: Labor, Commerce & Tribal Affairs: 2/16/22, 2/17/22 [DP].
Floor Activity: Passed Senate: 3/1/22, 48-0.
Brief Summary of Bill
  • Corrects cross references in unemployment insurance laws.
SENATE COMMITTEE ON LABOR, COMMERCE & TRIBAL AFFAIRS
Majority Report: Do pass.
Signed by Senators Keiser, Chair; Conway, Vice Chair, Labor; Stanford, Vice Chair, Commerce & Tribal Affairs; King, Ranking Member; Braun, Robinson, Saldaña and Schoesler.
Staff: Susan Jones (786-7404)
Background:

During the 2021 legislative session, the Legislature passed ESSB 5061, which amended multiple sections of the unemployment insurance title.  In addition to its substantive changes, ESSB 5061 also removed obsolete statutory language and made other technical corrections.  The removal of obsolete language in the section dealing with employer charging resulted in misaligned cross references:

  • within that same section; and
  • in a related section involving notification to employers of the amount of the employer's unemployment insurance contribution rate attributable to each component of the contribution rate.
Summary of Bill:

Cross references within unemployment insurance laws involving employer contribution rates and the notification of the amount of the employer's unemployment insurance contribution rate attributable to each component of the contribution rate are corrected to align with their references prior to the passage of ESSB 5061.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Not requested.
Creates Committee/Commission/Task Force that includes Legislative members: No.
Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.
Staff Summary of Public Testimony:

PRO:  This is a technical cleanup bill that corrects some cross-references in the unemployment insurance tax rate statutes following the passage of ESSB 5061.
Persons Testifying: PRO: Scott Michael, Employment Security Department.
Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: No one.