RADAR ALERT:
Tell Rep. Poe: The SAFE Act Could Bankrupt America

In introducing H.R. 739, the SAFE ("Security and Financial Empowerment"), Representatives Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) and Ted Poe (R-TX), claim the law is needed to combat workplace discrimination against victims of domestic violence. A 1998 General Accounting Office study, however, casts doubt on whether workplace discrimination is really a problem. The GAO reported, "we cannot conclude that being a victim of domestic violence changes the likelihood that a woman will work."

Furthermore, section 303 of the bill says: "An employer shall not fail to hire, refuse to hire, discharge, or harass" a person who claims to be a victim of partner abuse. Thus, the SAFE Act would require employers to provide lifetime job security to alleged victims of abuse. According to an analysis released by RADAR today, the employment entitlement will cost companies $28.8 billion a year. (See http://mediaradar.org/docs/RADARanalysis-HR739-SAFE-Act-Costs.pdf).

The SAFE Act would also require companies to provide health insurance, 30 days emergency leave, and unemployment insurance, and would make it harder for employers to terminate workers. Any employee at risk of being laid-off could simply assert victim status, whether true or not (a dirty little secret about the American legal system is that perjury is almost never prosecuted). Eventually, employers will become reluctant to hire new employees and will be less adept at responding to marketplace opportunities, leaving companies in a European-style stagnation.

Rep. Poe is out of step with the Republican party on this one. Please fill out this flyer asking him to withdraw his support of the bill

http://mediaradar.org/docs/RADARflyer-HR739-SAFE-Act.pdf

and fax it to his office (202-225-5547).

If H.R. 739 isn't stopped, it could bankrupt America.

Date of RADAR Release: March 16, 2009

R.A.D.A.R. – Respecting Accuracy in Domestic Abuse Reporting – is a non-profit, non-partisan organization of men and women working to improve the effectiveness of our nation's approach to solving domestic violence. http://mediaradar.org