Kansas, like all states, maintains an unemployment insurance trust fund with the United States Treasury that is paid for by business employers as a payroll tax. This money is deposited into an account and only can be used to pay benefits to unemployed workers.

The actual tax rate a business is charged depends on that businesses' experience rating -- i.e. their history of employment and charges due to layoffs.

Essentially, if your business costs the UI system less, you pay less.

The system usually works well, but because of the national recession, the state's trust fund balance has dipped from a $700 million surplus in 2008 to a negative balance today.

In order to replenish the fund, good employers have been forced to pay a "compressed rate," or a rate higher than the maximum allowed by the Employment Security Law.

In February, the House of Representatives introduced HB 2676, which provides immediate relief to thousands of Kansas businesses.

I am pleased that, on Thursday, the Senate also passed HB 2676.

This bill will allow the secretary of Labor to reduce tax rates for good businesses -- those that have positive account balances within the unemployment insurance trust fund. These businesses, over the course of operation, have paid more into the fund than benefits have been charged to the account.

The bill also includes a provision that would give good employers a 90-day grace period to pay their taxes.

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The Senate began work on a bill last week that will help the justice system better track domestic violence cases. House Bill 2517, which has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee where it awaits a hearing, was introduced in response to the 2008 murder of Lawrence resident Jana Mackey.

Currently, many crimes related to an abusive relationship (such as harassment, damage to property or disorderly conduct) aren't classified as domestic violence. HB 2517 would allow judges to determine whether crimes are linked to domestic violence and then tag them accordingly onto legal documents connected to any criminal act involving an intimate or domestic relationship. A tag will allow for better tracking of repeat offenders. This is especially important with domestic violence cases, as most offenders repeat their crimes (including Jana's murderer).

The bill also allows judges to require treatment for the offender, such as therapy. Ultimately, this legislation will help identify and deter domestic violence before it escalates.

Mackey, originally from Hays, was a 25-year-old University of Kansas law student when she was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in 2008.

Tragically, she had previously worked as a lobbyist in the Capitol on behalf of women who were victims of domestic violence.

In her wake, Jana's parents have carried on her passion for fighting domestic violence through the creation of "Jana's Campaign to Stop Domestic Violence." The campaign's goal is to promote new and effective legislation to protect victims of domestic violence.

Janis Lee represents the 36th Senate District. jlee@ruraltel.net