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Show THE SEARCHLIGHT The Wagner Social Security Bill It is incorrect to consider the recent Wagner social security bill as being the legislative version of the National Resources Planning Board’s ‘‘eradle to grave’’ proposal, although it does cover many of the fields suggested in the ‘‘eradle to grave’’ plan. It is, however, considerably more than an amendment to the present Social Security Act in that it ealls for certain fundamental changes in the present Act. Briefly the bill widens the base of social security coverage by an estimated 15,000,000 workers; it provides for health insurance; maternity insurance; permanent disability insurance; the federalization of unemployment insurance, and the extension of unemployment benefits; official and legal federalization of the employment service; voluntary coverage of state, city, and county workers under old age insurance, and coverage of small business men under old age insurance. It places a six per cent tax on employer pay rolls and a six per cent tax on workers’ wages. ‘The emoluments begin to roll a year after not the the later collections than six begin months to come after the in but end war. of: s It is silent in regard to the four or more billion dollars now resting in state unemployment insurance funds, except that it makes it possible and legal for Uncle Sam to accept this money when and if the states, by legislative action, agree to turn it over to the Federal fund. One of the most appealing things about the bill is the provision for soldiers. It provides that soldiers are building up old age and survivors insurance rights, a thing which the present Social Security Act has overlooked; it provides also that soldiers will be entitled to unemployment insurance, a thing already provided for many of the Utah service men under the Utah employment security act. The Utah law freezes a_ service man’s wage credits and pays him on a civilian basis after the war while the Wagner bill gives each unemployed soldier a flat $12 a week plus $6 a of $30 week for a week each dependent (including up to dependents). a total The soldier or sailor would get his benefits for 26 weeks under the Wagner bill as against 20 weeks under the Utah law. Under the Wagner act, he also gets a chance at 52 weeks duration, since the bill has a provision that whenever the Board of Trustees—Chairman of the Social Security Board, Secretary of Labor, and Secretary of the Treasury—determines that the fund will stand it, the duration of all unemployment insurance benefits may be extended from 26 weeks to as high as 52 weeks in Service men’s unemployment any one year. insurance is financed by appropriation. Practically all workers are covered by unemployment insurance in the Wagner bill, except public employees and all small proprieThe modus operandi of making collectors. tions from employers of farm help and domestic servants is not set forth, being left presumably up to the Social Security Board. The benefits will vary from $5 a week to $18 a week for single or unattached persons and from $8 to $30 a week for a worker with de- minimum for the qualify To pendents. amount, a person must earn at least $150 in a year. ‘lhe duration is for 26 weeks, except when extended as pointed out in a foregoing paragraph. Persons temporarily disabled are entitled to unemployment benefits just as those who Pregnant women who are available for work. are eligible for unemployment are entitled to compensation during the six weeks prior to and following confinement, in addition to the maximum unemployment insurance, but may not get maternity insurance and at the same time draw unemployment or disability insurance. More space than is available here is required to give a good picture of the changes proposed in the Old Age and Survivors’ Insurance part of the Social Security Act. It provides for ‘benefits to males who have reached the age of 65, females who have reached the age of 60, and any individual over 18 who has been permanently disabled. The maximum General is raised from medical (Continued $85 service on following to $120. and_ hospitaliza- page) |