Evening star., 1939-04-21
Bill Embraces
D. {. Servants in
Security Act
Randolph Measure
Also Would Cut
Employer Payment

A plan for undermining and lib
eralizing Washington's Unemploy-
ment Compensation Act today con-
fronted members of the House Dis.
trict Committee
Proposed alterations in the pres
ent law are embodied in q bill spon-
sored by the committee chairman,
Representative Randolph, Demo-
crat. Of West Virginia.
The principal change is intended
to extend to Washingtons 10000
domestic servants, who are not en-
ployed by the Federal Government,
the benefits of unemployment COM
pensatlon. Only one State-Idaho-
has included domestics within the
scope of the unemployment compen-
sation law.
Would Cut Employer Payments.
Mr.. Randolph's bill also would re.
duce the contribution of EMPLOYERS
to the unemployment fund from
to ~ per cent, and increase the
benefits of persons receiving unem.
ployment compensation.
Representative McGehee, Demo-
crat, OF Mississippi, member of the
District Committee, introduced a bill
more than a month ago to reduce
the contribution of employers to l
per cent, and divorce the District
Unemployment Compensation Board
from the Social Security Board. Mr..
McGehee was told the present 3 per
cent contribution of the employers
Is pllng up huge surplus in the
unemployment compensation fund.
Mr.. Randolphs bill, however, would
not disturb existing relations be-
tween the two boards.
When the District of Columbia
Compensation Act was passed by
Congress in August, 1885, said Mr..
Randolph, lit was considered as a
model law. But so rapid have been
the changes in the last 21a years. so
meager have been the benefit provi-
slons OF the so-called model law,
that most of tine States have long
since amended their laws. and the
District law is today one of the
clumsiest and least liberal in the
country
The present law relates benefits
to weeks of employment over the
fve proceeding years, which means
that the employer must report such
weeks to the unemployment COM
pensation board. The proposed law
would relate benefits to wages
earned in the four calendar quar-
ters OF single preceding year. This
system would tend to cut admins
tratiye costs.
Payments Far Below Average.
Under the present law the for
mula is such that the average
weekly benefit paid in the District
OF Columbia for December. 1888, was
1884 tmaximum) and s267 mini
mum. nearly one-fourth less than
the average of s1131 paid through
out the country.
The proposed formula sets the
benefit at one-tWentieth the wages
earned in the calendar quarter in
which the workers earnings were
highest last year. and retains the
allowance for dependent relatives
as we'll. A minimum benefit is set
OF 81 per week-as in the case of
New York and California (Pennsyl-
vanla's minimum is higher. The
maximum benefit is s18 per week.
as in the case of Louisiana and
Wyoming. To qualify for benefits,
worker must have earned at least
s1O0 in the last year. Once quail
flying, if he remains unemployed,
he may draw the euivalent of l8
weeks in benefits. tThe present law
fixes Is weeks as the maximum)"
Mr.. Randolph pointed out his bill
does not provide for so-called
merit rating" which, he said,
would reduce the contributions of
certain employers. 1T is my feel
ing" he declared, that until we
have experience in paying workers
benefits which amount to something
like a subsistence level. the prob
lem of merit rating should be a
matter of study"