Seattle Times Provides Good Final Hours UI Advice to Legislature

Great editorial this morning in the Seattle Times: Now's not the time to raise payroll taxes.

In the middle of an economic crisis, it makes no sense to make it more expensive to hire a worker.

Just such a measure, Senate Bill 5963, is now in the final steps in the Legislature. The bill would make unemployment pay more generous for workers who qualify for less than the $541 maximum weekly benefit — an increase that is almost certain to trigger an increase in payroll taxes.

The Times editorial board points out that Washington employers already pay among the nation's highest unemployment taxes and unemployed workers here receive among the nation's most generous benefits,

WashACE has written a lot about this in recent weeks, most recently here. The Senate must reject the costly amendments placed on the bill in the House. As amended by the House, SB 5963 will cost the state good jobs.