Here’s the evidence:
Rossi voted against allowing individuals that quit their jobs voluntarily, due to domestic violence victimization or stalking, to be considered as leaving work voluntarily with good cause, allowing a claimant to qualify for unemployment benefits. [SB 5189, 3/8/01]
On Thursday, after heated debate that at one point drew groans of disgust from Democrats, the state Senate approved a bill giving unemployment benefits to domestic violence or stalking victims who must leave their jobs. The vote was 26-23, mostly along party lines with Democrats in favor and Republicans opposed….The expected cost: $300,000 over two years….Republicans, many of whom said they support the idea, balked at the proposal because it threatens to add to the costs of employers, who pay taxes to support the unemployment system. The Republicans tried unsuccessfully to tack on an amendment to take the $ 300,000 program cost from a state fund for crime victims, rather than from unemployment. They also wanted to require applicants to file a police report or get a restraining order. “This is a societal problem, not an employer problem,” said Sen. Jim Honeyford, R-Sunnyside….The bill expressly avoids saddling a particular employer with higher unemployment insurance premiums because one of its workers leaves due to domestic violence. Normally, the amount an employer pays is based on how often that company lays people off. More claims mean the company pays more. Instead, the bill spreads the cost among all employers who pay into the system. Therefore, the net increase would be barely noticeable, Democrats said. “The only person who’s going to have a significant bottom-line impact is the individual who’s decided to leave an abusive relationship,” said Sen. Lisa Brown, D-Spokane. “It will be imperceptible to the rest of us.” [Spokesman Review, 3/9/01]
According to testimony in support of the bill, “Some victims of domestic violence need unemployment insurance (UI) in order to escape their situation, relocate, and find a new job.” [SB 5189, Senate Bill Report]
Sen. Betti Sheldon, D-Bremerton said nearly 80 percent of battered women have jobs, she said, and many are harassed by their abusers while at work. Many lose their jobs as a result. Often, she said, their only recourse to threats is to leave family, friends and their job and move somewhere else. Being able to collect unemployment during that transition, she said, would give those people and their children a healthy, safe start on a new life. The expected cost: $ 300,000 over two years. [Spokesman Review, 3/9/01]
The Ad Says “Rossi turned his back on battered women.”
Here’s the evidence:
Domestic violence often becomes so severe that women leave their homes, even when they have no place to go. In a 1998 study, 22% of 777 individuals surveyed stated that they had fled their home because of domestic violence. In a 2002 report by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, 44% of the cities surveyed identified domestic violence as the primary cause of homelessness. [ Family Violence Prevention Fund ]