Business groups press Washington Legislature for tax cuts, other COVID-19 relief By Paul Roberts, The Seattle Times
Published: January 17, 2021, 1:23pm
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After surviving 10 months of shutdowns, heavy layoffs, steep losses and chronic uncertainty, many businesses in Washington say they won’t see the end of the pandemic without significant help from state lawmakers.
But one week into the 2021 legislative session, prospects for that relief are anything but clear.
The good news: There’s strong bipartisan support in the Democrat-controlled state House and Senate for quick action on measures such as emergency grants for small business and more than $2.6 billion in cuts for unemployment taxes and other business costs.
A guide to Washington s 2021 legislative session
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The capitol building in Olympia, Washington. @ Didier Marti/Getty Images
Amid a background of civil unrest that led Gov. Jay Inslee to activate the National Guard for safety, the Washington state legislature commenced last week for their 2021 session.
Despite the in-person first gathering in Olympia, lawmakers agreed to rules to hold a mostly remote 2021 session due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 98-member House of Representatives will move to mostly virtual meetings, while the Senate will take a hybrid approach will some members appearing at the Capitol.
The state s response to the pandemic will likely dominate the early months of this session as lawmakers chart an economic recovery, but other high-profile issues also at hand.
Criticism and strategizing for Employment Security before Legislature
Washington state capitol in Olympia. (AP file photo)
The first week back at the Legislature virtually, that is saw plenty of conversation over what went wrong at the Employment Security Department this past year, and what steps might be taken to help out those who are unemployed.
With the pandemic came record unemployment, a backlog that has seen tens of thousands of people at a time waiting on benefits, a fraud attack that robbed government of hundreds of millions of dollars, and the looming figure of rising unemployment taxes on businesses to refill the Unemployment Trust Fund, which is funded entirely by these taxes.
US state legislatures boost security arrangements texasguardian.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from texasguardian.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
US state legislatures boost security arrangements following Capitol riots, FBI warnings ANI | Updated: Jan 14, 2021 23:27 IST
Washington [US], January 14 (ANI): US state legislatures and law enforcement officials are boosting security arrangements at capitol complexes around the country following the violent insurrection last week as well as in the wake of warnings by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of armed protests in the upcoming days.
According to The Hill, legislators say that they are increasingly anxious about the armed protests, which began last year in response to lockdowns imposed to curb the Covid-19 pandemic and are mounting over President Donald Trump s false allegations about election impropriety.