Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-07-11
Standards to Apply in Lat
ter to Be Fixed Before
Final Action.
GRADUATED PAY ROLL
LEVY TO BE APPLIED
Senate and House Leaders Agree
on l Per Cent Tax During
First Year.
BY ]. A. O'LEARY.

Final action by the Senate District
Committee on the local unemployment
insurance bill will be deferred until
House and Senate conferees agree on
the standards in the national meas
ure.
This was indicated today by Sena-
tor Copeland, Democrat, of New York,
following preliminary, informal con-
ference yesterday with Representative
Ellenbogen. Democrat, Of Pennsyl-
vania. Copeland announced the local
payroll tax should be put into effect
gradually, as in the national bill.
This would mean 1 per cent in
1886, PEI cent in 1887 and per
cent thereafter, instead of starting at
once with the per cent rate, which
would be more drastic than either the
national bill or the trend of State
laws.
Another change announced by Cope
land, after his conference with the
author of the House bill, was to start
the benefit payments to unemployed
two years after the bill passes instead
Of one year.
Other Proposals Waiting.
There are several other equally i'm
portant changes which the Commits
sioners and local organizations have
urged the Senate to make in the House
bill that will be considered further
before the measure is reported to the
Senate.
Chairman King of the District Com
mittee and Chairman Copeland of a
special subcommittee which held the
social security hearings have been
going over the unemployment bill
individually, but both said today there
would be meeting of the entire COM
mittee to pass on the measure.
Copeland's preliminary conference
yesterday did not result in elimination
of the House provision for a contribu-
ton from the District government
equal to per cent of the pay rolls OF
the employers, which would call for
about 81 100000 a year in some form
of municipal tax. This District tax
bears a direct relation to the House
provision, allowing for 26 weeks OF
benefit payments annually. The re-
quirement for a District government
tax would cause the local measure to
60 further than the States laws thus
far enacted, in which the benefit Pc
RODS are IS or 16 weeks. The national
bill also uses Is weeks.
The House bill also would give the
Federal Government supervision over
the District unemployment plan. King
reiterated his belief today that the
District government should have con-
troll of the local law, just as in the
States. The Utah Senator announced
last week that he favors shaping the
bill substantially along the lines rec
commended by the Commissioners.
Copeland Undecided.
Copeland indicated he is still turn
ing over in his mind the question
of whether any change should be
made in the 26 weeks Of benefit pay
ments, and also whether the District
government tax should be eliminated
or retained.
The New Yorker also is studying the
ACCESSIBILITY of having the bill apply
to employers of fewer than four per-
sons, to cover such groups as domes
tic servants.
The conferees on the national bill,
who have experienced difficulty in
reaching a final agreement on their
differences over several issues, will
meet again at o'clock tomorrow aft
ernoon. 1t is not likely, therefore,
that the District Committee will be
in a position to meet for action on
the local bill until next week.
Senator Copeland said there is no
dissension between members of the
District Committee over the local
social security program. Committee
members believe they can proceed
more expeditiously on the local bill
after the remaining differences in the
national bill are settled.