February 28, 2005

We Have a Voice - Another Lesson Learned

I was the only one who voted against House Bill 293 last Friday. It is a bill that extends unemployment benefits to a military spouse when the family moves to a new post/base. Sounds like a real nice way to care for our troops and their families, and it passed the House by a vote of 89-1. Why did I vote "No"?

Transfers are a way of life in the military. If a spouse is working, they put in their notice and then look for work at their new duty assignment. I am a military veteran of more than 20 years. I was reassigned (with my family) many times during my career. So I have a different perspective on the situation than do other members of the General Assembly who were not career military.
On the other hand, the sponsor of this bill was Rep. Mike Weaver, D-Elizabethtown. He's a retired career officer, too. So what gives? Well, the difference is that I have experience in a business with many employees and a large payroll.
Employers must make contributions into their own Unemployment Insurance Account (UIA). If a person is laid off, that person gets an unemployment check; but the money doesn't really come from the government. It comes out of the employer's UIA.
Every employer pays money each quarter into their own UIA based on a percentage of their payroll. The employer will never see that money again. Under normal circumstances the percentage can be low (½ %) or high (7%). If you have low turnover your contribution rate stays low. As an example, in a company that has an annual payroll of one million dollars, an employer might pay $28,000 into the UIA, or they might pay only $2,000 into the UIA. (They prefer the $2,000!) So an employer's goal is to keep turnover as low as possible, and not drain their UIA by paying out unemployment benefits.
HB 293 was popular because it sounded good and didn't cost the state anything. But the cost to the employer can be big. If an employer knows that hiring a military spouse means that they'll have a 24-month employee who then moves away and drains their UIA, they just will not hire a military spouse. The bill that was drafted to help our military families is actually harmful to them because of the unintended consequence of discouraging the hiring of a military spouse.
Following the vote, some friends approached me and asked why in the world I'd voted "No" on HB 293. After I explained, they said "I wish I'd known that, I'd have voted against it, too!" So here was my next lesson. I hadn't used my voice on the floor of the House, but I should have done so.
I remind every group and almost every person who calls or writes that "You have a Voice" in your government. Yet when I had the opportunity to speak, I didn't. Sure, I voted; but I didn't explain to fellow legislators why this would be so bad for military families.
I've noticed that some legislators talk a lot. Seems they love to hear their own voices. Me, I just work hard and do my job. But I've learned now that part of my job is to speak up when I have something unique to offer.
I assumed that everyone knew all of this and the bill would not pass. If I had spoken, would the bill have been defeated? We'll never know. But I have options. I will speak to Senate leadership and if the bill is called I can testify about it in a Senate committee. However, I should have used my voice on the floor of the House.
I'm here to help. If you have an issue that concerns you, or if you just want to let me know how you feel about something, please leave a message for me by calling 1-800-372-7181. Or call me at home. And remember, you (and I!) have a Voice in State Government.