York County News

In Harrisburg, the House has passed a bipartisan legislation aimed at providing expedited unemployment benefits to victims of domestic violence. This initiative, led by House Labor and Industry chairmen Representatives Seth Grove and Jason Dawkins, seeks to address the challenges faced by victims who are forced to quit their jobs due to threats from their abusers.

“This truly bipartisan bill is a commonsense approach to address an oft-overlooked aspect of domestic violence. Victims have been forced to quit their jobs because their abusers know where they work and have turned up there to do them harm,” said Representative Grove. He emphasized the injustice faced by victims who must leave their employment and potentially wait an extended period to receive crucial unemployment benefits. “Being forced to stop working at no fault of their own is not cause to wait a long period of time to receive unemployment benefits, especially when, in most cases, the victim had to leave home with very little or nothing,” he added.

Currently, individuals who leave their job due to domestic violence can only claim unemployment compensation after a prolonged process. The new legislation, however, intends to make it easier for affected individuals to claim benefits, as long as they provide acceptable documentation of their situation. The measure, known as House Bill 274, also stipulates that employers who accommodate these claims will receive automatic relief from related charges.

The bipartisan effort now moves to the Senate for further consideration.