Bellingham business owner Rick Dubrow is one of them:

"The common sense reforms in this bill should have been adopted years ago," said Sue Matthews, the owner of T.I. Northwest, located in Puyallup. "I do not understand why we have allowed our workers compensation program to operate on standards that wouldn't pass muster for any other government program for so many years."

"As a general contractor in commercial tenant improvements, I am required by law to pay substantial workers compensation taxes, and I am told exactly how much I must pay. From that point on the government keeps me in the dark," Matthews adds. "I have no idea what my retro refund is based on, or how my workers compensation taxes are being used. The accounting is a complete mystery."

Senate Bill 6035 (SB 6035) requires that workers compensation taxes be spent on insurance purposes, workplace safety programs and reasonable administrative fees; and that there be clear accounting for how workers compensation taxes are spent. It also responds to the Department of Labor and Industries overpayment of $150 million to retro associations with increased review and oversight requirements.

"We can't afford to have trade associations diverting our workers compensation taxes into political campaigns," said Rick Dubrow," owner of A-1 Construction in Bellingham. "If they aren't being used for insurance or worker safety purposes they should be returned to the employers who are struggling mightily to maintain and create jobs."

"The lack of transparency and accountability for this program in existing law is ridiculous," added Dubrow. "Can you name any other multi-billion dollar state government programs where tax refunds can be diverted into political campaigns, where there are no guidelines for how refunds are calculated, and where employers aren't given any real accounting of how their funds are used?"