Washington State Sen. Karen Keiser (D-Des Moines) was the principal sponsor of the new law. “We are looking at a bit of an economic rebound,” Keiser said, “so that will help, because the Microsofts and Amazons and Costcos of the world are still paying their premiums as normal.”
Keiser said the new law will also raise the state’s minimum unemployment benefit, starting in July, by about 35%—from $201 per week to $270 per week. “If we were going to give much-over a billion dollars in tax breaks for business,” said Keiser, “we should also help the poorest workers, those who earn somewhere between $21,000 and $27,800 a year.”
