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Updates on the second federal aid bill’s UI and paid sick leave provisions

The $2 trillion federal aid bill enacted last week was the third bill related to COVID-19. The second aid bill, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, was signed March 18, 2020. It includes $1 billion in unemployment insurance administrative grants for states. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued guidance for state workforce agencies […]

Small business loans in the federal aid bill

Under the federal coronavirus aid bill, as passed by Congress, the Small Business Administration (SBA) would guarantee “paycheck protection loans” for businesses with fewer than 500 employees, sole proprietors, independent contractors, and the self-employed. The loans could be used for payroll costs (except the compensation of individual employees over $100,000 annually), health benefits, salaries, mortgage […]

Federal stimulus package would increase unemployment insurance benefits

As Kriss noted yesterday, initial claims for unemployment insurance (UI) during the week ending March 21 were up significantly, in both Washington and the U.S. as a whole. (Kriss also looks at claims by industry here.) And, as Rachel La Corte of the Associated Press reports, “Based on the number of claims that have come […]

New, temporary federal mandate for paid sick leave during the crisis

Wednesday President Trump signed H.R. 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. As I noted yesterday, it includes provisions related to unemployment insurance. It also requires private employers with fewer than 500 employees and all public employers to provide paid sick leave to their employees who can’t work because they must quarantine or care for […]

A big increase in unemployment claims, and how Washington is using unemployment insurance to respond to outbreak

Today the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) reported that national unemployment insurance (UI) claims for the week ending March 14 increased by 70,000, to 281,000 (seasonally adjusted): “During the week ending March 14, the increase in initial claims are clearly attributable to impacts from the COVID-19 virus.” Non-seasonally adjusted data by state is available: For […]

Legislature appropriates $200 million from rainy day fund (plus $25 million in federal dollars) for COVID-19 response—including for unemployment insurance

Yesterday (the last day of session), the Legislature passed EHB 2965. The House and Senate had each passed versions of the bill last week that would have appropriated $100.0 million from the budget stabilization account (BSA, or the rainy day fund). As adopted yesterday, the bill appropriates $200.0 million from the BSA. Of that, $175.0 […]

Workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance, and quarantines

Given the coronavirus outbreak in Washington, policymakers are considering how workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance should be applied when workers are quarantined. Today Gov. Inslee and the Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) announced: L&I is immediately changing its policy around workers’ compensation coverage for health care workers and first responders who are quarantined by […]

Is Seattle’s scheduling ordinance stricter than that proposed in the Legislature?

Gov. Inslee’s 2020 supplemental budget proposal assumes passage of SSB 5717, which would require employees in food service, hospitality, and retail get 14 days’ notice of their schedules and be compensated for schedule changes. Yesterday the Labor & Commerce Committee heard a proposed substitute bill. Some of the differences in the proposed bill compared to […]

Gov. Inslee’s budget proposal assumes passage of scheduling bill

As I noted earlier this week, the governor’s 2020 supplemental budget proposal assumes passage of SSB 5717. The bill, which was introduced in 2019, would restrict how certain food service, hospitality, and retail employers in the state may schedule their employees. Under the bill, work schedules would have to be provided at least 14 days […]

Prevailing minimum wages in Washington will increase in 2020

When Washington voters approved I-1433 (to increase the state minimum wage) in 2016, three cities in the state had their own, higher minimum wages (and all are indexed to inflation). Here’s what state and local minimum wages will look like come January: State: Under I-1433, the higher minimum wage was phased in. The final step […]