WSR 22-17-109

PERMANENT RULES

EMPLOYMENT SECURITY DEPARTMENT

[Filed August 19, 2022, 4:49 p.m., effective September 19, 2022]

Effective Date of Rule: Thirty-one days after filing.

Purpose: In order to provide an economic climate conducive to the retention of skilled workers in industries adversely affected by general economic downturns and to supplement depressed buying power of employees affected by such downturns, the legislature finds that the public interest would be served by the enactment of laws providing greater flexibility in the payment of unemployment compensation benefits in situations where qualified employers elect to retain employees at reduced hours rather than instituting layoffs (RCW 50.60.010).

The employment security department (ESD) intends to expand access to this program by repealing the rule requiring that an employer be legally registered in the state for at least six months before qualifying for the shared work program.

Citation of Rules Affected by this Order: Repealing WAC 192-250-015.

Statutory Authority for Adoption: Under RCW 50.60.030, the commissioner shall approve a shared work compensation plan if certain criteria are met; the commissioner may also take into account any other factors which may be pertinent. RCW 50.12.010 and 50.12.040 provide general rule-making authority to ESD.

Adopted under notice filed as WSR 22-13-172 on June 22, 2022.

A final cost-benefit analysis is available by contacting Josh Dye, P.O. Box 9046, Olympia, WA 98507-9046, phone 360-890-3472, fax 844-652-7096, TTY relay 711, email rules@esd.wa.gov, website https://esd.wa.gov/newsroom/rulemaking/shared-work.

Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

Number of Sections Adopted at the Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's own Initiative: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 1.

Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

Number of Sections Adopted using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

Date Adopted: August 19, 2022.

Dan Zeitlin

Employment System Policy Director

OTS-3860.1

The following section of the Washington Administrative Code is repealed: