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SATURDAY'S EDITORIAL

Domestic violence victims fortunate to have lawmaker

THE ISSUE: Lawmaker’s efforts against domestic violence

OUR OPINION: Cobb-Hunter knows the problems, keeps them on front burner

So much attention on domestic violence is focused on the offender. Lawmakers are constantly talking about ways to keep predators and abusers in prison for longer periods.

Orangeburg Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter is a professional at the forefront of fighting domestic violence and sexual abuse. As the longtime leader of CASA Family Systems in Orangeburg, she knows the problem firsthand.

Importantly, she also has used her position as a lawmaker to shepherd domestic-violence legislation through the lawmaking process — and in key ways that may not make headlines.

She was recognized recently for legislation that addressed a problem that, while little known, was crucial for victims of domestic violence.

S.C. Employment Security Commission leader Becky D. Richardson explained:

“People who suffer from domestic violence often feel they are in an impossible situation: they can’t stay, and they can’t leave. Staying can be fatal; leaving may well involve a loss of security. Leaving a home may well mean having to move, which may mean leaving a job behind. In just under half the states in the country, this also means you won’t qualify for unemployment insurance benefits.

“The same was true in South Carolina until last year. When S.C. Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter heard that people who leave a job as a result of domestic violence are not eligible for UI benefits, she immediately went to work getting a bill drafted to correct the situation. She also spearheaded the drive in the S.C General Assembly to get the bill passed.”

The legislation stipulates that those who leave a job out of fear for their lives or the lives of their children, either at work or in transit, can still be eligible for unemployment insurance benefits. The bill also makes sure that employers, who normally pay UI benefits out of their accounts, won’t be penalized, since in this case the worker’s leaving is not job-related. The money is charged to the general UI Trust Fund and the amount is based on the employee’s previous salary.

For her efforts, Cobb-Hunter was honored recently with International Association of Workforce Professionals Public Policy Award. Justly so.

On many issues, Cobb-Hunter is looked to by colleagues from both the Republican and Democratic parties as a key player in the legislative process. On none more so than anything to do with domestic violence. Her efforts got the unemployment-benefits legislation through the sometimes-arduous legislative process in short order. The governor did not hesitate in signing.

Hundreds of South Carolina victims of domestic violence have one less problem to face — and are fortunate to have a knowledgeable legislative champion such as Cobb-Hunter.