Tag: unemployment insurance

So much for a chance at real debate or public input

January 30, 2013 at 4:45 pmCategory:Uncategorized

by

What is it about complete power and the temptation to overreach? The conservatives running the General Assembly have huge and insuperable majorities; they can pass or stop anything they want.

And yet, on just the first real day of the session, they have already spoken loudly and clearly that they have no real intention of  allowing the public to speak or the opponents of their plans to have a say on a series of controversial bills that they plan on ramming through the General Assembly in the coming days.

Seriously, you can’t make this stuff up. Tomorrow, on the second day of the session, lawmakers will take up and apparently act on bills to: Read More…

Tillis gets it wrong on Federal unemployment insurance extension

January 29, 2013 at 5:22 pmCategory:NC Budget and Tax Center

by

In his opening session press conference today, House Speaker Thom Tillis reiterated his desire to move an Unemployment Insurance (UI) reform bill through his chamber that would effectively result in cutting off roughly 80,000 of the state’s long-term unemployed workers from a badly-needed extension of federal unemployment benefits. Unemployment benefits, said the Speaker, were never intended to be a long-term entitlement, and should never have been extended anyway, since doing so will drive up the federal budget deficit.

Given the history of the UI program, persistently high unemployment and the relatively low cost of federal UI benefits to the taxpayer, these ideas are extremely misguided and will result in significant—and unnecessary—hardship for North Carolina workers.

Read More…

Advocates pose “350 challenge” to McCrory, legislators

January 27, 2013 at 3:05 pmCategory:Uncategorized

by

Take The 350 ChallengeCommunity leaders challenge Gov. McCrory to live on reduced unemployment benefits for one week

Group says Governor has no idea how much pain he will cause lower and middle class families with new law.

Raleigh, NC – A group of community leaders and advocates are calling on newly-elected Governor McCrory to literally put his money where his mouth is and commit to live for one week on the maximum unemployment benefit of $350 that is being proposed by the North Carolina General Assembly. Read More…

Unemployment in NC slightly up

January 18, 2013 at 10:35 amCategory:Uncategorized

by

The state unemployment rate went up to 9.2 percent in December, according to a release this morning from the N.C. Department of Commerce.

It was an increase of 0.1 percent from a month prior.

The state is still up from the national rate of 7.8 percent but is far better off than it was last year. In December 2011, unemployment was 10.4 percent.

(All numbers are seasonably adjusted.)

This comes as the state legislature gets ready to make significant changes to the state’s unemployment insurance program, in order to pay back $2.5 billion the state borrowed from the federal government in the height of the recession.

The proposal on the table would primarily change how jobless workers are affected, by scaling back the number of weeks an unemployed worker could collect benefits form 26 to 12 or 20 weeks (depending on the economy), and cut the maximum weekly amount from $535 to $350. (More here in this WRAL story.)

Businesses would see a slight increase in what they pay.

Worker advocates, including the Policy Watch’s parent organization, the N.C. Justice Center, have said the current proposal would leave vulnerable middle and low-income families without the needed safety nets after a sudden job less, with the business community not paying enough of their share.

Meanwhile, the N.C. Chamber of Commerce, which worked closely with legislators to develop the proposed plan, have described the proposal as balanced, with all sides feeling some pain to right the system. (Click here to read a chamber news release on the issue.)

Legislators are expected to take up the issue later on in the session.

Berger’s disingenuous claim about unemployment insurance

January 16, 2013 at 3:17 pmCategory:Uncategorized

by

At his press conference today, Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger said the following about the unemployment insurance overhaul bill that conservative lawmakers and the North Carolina Chamber cooked up in some secret meetings late in 2012:

“Even if the bill is passed as it is, fully 84% of the folks that are receiving benefits or, that the benefits are calculated – the way they are presently – 84% will still be calculated the same way, will still receive the benefits. So you’re talking about 16% that are in that upper area, that uh, that would uh… that the overall benefits will be less for newly unemployed people after the bill goes into effect.”

Got that? Notwithstanding Berger’s tortured English, it’s pretty clear that he’s claiming that 84% of unemployment insurance beneficiaries will be unaffected. You can watch WRAL’s video of his press conference by clicking here. The statement in question is made at around the 31 minute mark.

This was the first time such a number has been trotted out by defenders of the proposal — which again makes one wonder about the secrecy of the way the whole thing has proceeded. But laying the matter of process aside, the question arises: Can Berger’s claim possibly be true? Can it be true that the big money Berger is alleging the proposal will save will be wrung out of only 16% of program beneficiaries? 

Subject to new information from the Senator about what he really meant with his his fumbling attempt at a parsed statement, a preliminary one-word characterization of his claim has to be the following: Baloney! Read More…