Politics & Government
Rep. George Ross of Attleboro Votes in Favor of Freezing Unemployment Insurance Rate
State Rep. George Ross and other area representatives vote unanimously on unemployment insurance tax freeze.
Area State Representatives Betty Poirier (R-North Attleboro), Jay Barrows (R-Mansfield), George Ross (R-Attleboro), Steven Howitt (R-Seekonk) and Daniel Winslow (R-Norfolk) voted Wednesday in favor of freezing the current unemployment insurance rate.
The Act Relative to Unemployment Insurance Rates was drafted in response to the existing financial burdens placed on the state's small businesses.
Any increase to the unemployment insurance rate would, on average, increase businesses unemployment payments $228 per employee, according to Rep. Poirier's office. With the rate freeze in place, the state's unemployment costs are nearly double the national average.
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“We were happy to freeze the Unemployment Insurance Tax to prevent our employers with being hit with a significant increase in unemployment insurance premiums while many are still struggling with the recession," the representatives said in a prepared statement. "In addition, we realize that there is a need to make additional fundamental reforms so that Massachusetts can be competitive with other states.”
The legislation is now before the Gov. Deval Patrick for his review.
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