OLYMPIA – Yesterday, the Senate passed House Bill 1106 out of the Senate Labor & Commerce Committee. Introduced by Rep. Mary Fosse, D-Everett, the legislation addresses the gap in the UI system that many Washington families face when they are forced to quit their job due to child care or care for a vulnerable adult becoming inaccessible.
“It isn’t fair to burden families and workers with an impossible choice between caring for their loved ones and potentially losing their livelihoods and more,” said Rep. Fosse. “As a state that prides itself on supporting working families, this is an important step in eliminating obstacles that so many in our workforce face when it comes to caring for children, family, and our most vulnerable.”
Washington has one of the most restrictive laws in the country when it comes to whether an employee can leave a job and still receive UI benefits. HB 1106 would modify Washington’s narrow list of “good cause” circumstances permitted under law and extend UI eligibility to workers that leave employment because of the death, illness, or disability of any family member, or when workers are unable to reconcile care obligations for a child or vulnerable adult.
This reduces unnecessary barriers for workers who have been left out of the system and helps many of the employees in Washington also tasked with caregiving and other responsibilities. If passed from the legislature, Washington would join forty-seven states that have passed similar legislation.
House Bill 1106 now heads to the Senate Rules Committee.