Editorial by The (Sunbury) Daily Item | Removing red tape for victims of domestic violence

Cutting red tape typically isn’t a strength of government.

So it is good to see bipartisan movement on a bill that would streamline the unemployment compensation process to get victims of domestic violence needed benefits sooner.

House Bill 1446 would codify the benefits into law and State Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, the bill’s sponsor and minority chair of the House Labor & Industry Committee said it would make the process faster and “provide automatic relief from associated charges to employers to avoid impacting tax rates from the claims.”

The legislation would also extend to allow for unemployment compensation if an individual believes that a relative or another person in their same residence is also at risk.

The bill passed the House 158-43. All House Democrats supported the bill along with 56 Republicans, including Valley leaders Michael Stender, R-108; David Rowe, R-85; and Joanne Stehr, R-107. Reps. Stephanie Borowicz, R-76, and Jamie Flick, R-83, who represent parts of Union County, voted no.

The bill now goes to the Senate, where we hope to see it move through with additional bipartisan support.

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, victims of domestic violence lose 8 million days of paid work a year. That cost represents more than $8.3 billion in lost wages.

This legislation makes sense for those who need immediate aid.

While we agree with Mackenzie that “an employee who voluntarily quits employment should have to meet a steep bar before being awarded taxpayer-funded benefits,” this represents a needed and important exception if appropriate documentation is provided.

“Although (unemployment compensation) claims submitted by domestic violence victims are not the most common or numerous, I believe these individuals are the most in need of a quicker and cleaner claim process,” Mackenzie said at the time.

“Escaping domestic violence sometimes involves relocating suddenly and finding a new job. My bill represents one small way we can help make the ordeal a little less complicated.”

Domestic violence isn’t a bipartisan issue, it’s an everybody issue.

Using government to expedite what can be a drawn-out process, something that isn’t always the case, is a wise move.

— The (Sunbury) Daily Item