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18th District
lawmakers say workers will benefit from jobs more than they will from
change in jobless benefits
A bill passed today to
undo recent reforms of the state’s unemployment insurance system would
decrease job opportunities for workers in the long run, according to
Rep. Ed Orcutt
and Rep. Richard Curtis.
House Bill 2255, approved
by a 56-41 margin, would unravel changes that made the unemployment
insurance system fair and equitable and have benefited employers large
and small throughout the state.
“These reforms were
adopted in 2003, after at least a decade of negotiations, to improve job
opportunities in our state. It’s no surprise our state’s economy has
picked up since the reforms were adopted – and they’re part of the
reason the state will see 1.7 billion dollars more in revenue this
year,” said Orcutt.
“I want the workers I
represent in Southwest Washington to have the full benefits that come
with a fulltime job. Increasing the size of their unemployment checks
won’t create jobs – only raise costs for employers. That will make it
more difficult for employers to survive, much less add jobs. It’s a
vicious cycle that only makes it harder to get people back to work,”
said Orcutt, R-Kalama.
“The reforms adopted two
years ago are really just starting to take hold. We wouldn’t see their
full benefit until 2008. Changing them now makes our state look like a
risky place to do business, and employers don’t like risk,” Orcutt
added.
Rather than focus on
jobless benefits, Orcutt said, the House should focus more on efforts to
create and preserve jobs – such as House Bill 1103, which would provide
tax and regulatory relief to create more sawmilling jobs in Washington.
“We need Washington logs
to be processed by Washington citizens, not sent deep into Oregon,” said
Orcutt, who is a co-sponsor of the bill. HB 1103 has stalled in the
House Finance Committee, on which Orcutt is the lead Republican member.
Curtis, R-La Center,
pointed out that unemployment insurance was created for people who lost
their jobs through no fault of their own and have fallen on hard times,
not as a permanent earnings subsidy.
"Instead of fostering
dependence on a program that has the potential to be bankrupt in 10
years, we should be encouraging and developing alternative employment
opportunities for seasonal workers," said Curtis.
"The 2003 unemployment
reforms brought more businesses and jobs to our communities and because
of that, our economy improved. Now, with this bill, we're taking a step
backward. We're sending the message that we're not really committed to
long-term economic recovery."
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For more information, contact:
Brendon Wold, Public
Information Officer: (360) 786-7698
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