Senate Passes Jobless Package, Sends Back To House

May 4, 2011

An unemployment compensation bill that would reduce the length of benefits unless the jobless rate gets particularly high passed the Senate on Tuesday, sending the measure back to the House with just days left in the 20111 session.

The House had earlier passed the bill (HB 7005), but the Senate made some changes to that bill Tuesday to try to take some of the bite out of it for the unemployed. The Senate then passed the bill 29-10 and sent it back to the House for approval of the changes.

“The best way to help unemployed people is to see that businesses are healthy so we can find you a job,” said Sen. Nancy Detert, R-Venice, and sponsor of the Senate version (SB 728.) Businesses pay into the unemployment compensation fund.

The bill would maintain the current 26 weeks of state benefits when the jobless rate is above 12 percent. Until that threshold is reached, benefits would be capped at 20 weeks. The unemployment rate in Florida in March was 11.1 percent, meaning

The bill does not affect federal unemployment benefits or food stamps.

Tuesday’s vote came over the objections of Democrats who said the changes unfairly target workers during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. They also dismissed the argument that the duration of benefits could be reduced when the unemployment rate falls because it would be easier for the jobless to find work.

“The purpose of unemployment is to provide financial benefits to folks so they will be in a position to maintain some quality of life, though I dare not say decent,” said Sen. Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa. “It’s the wrong time to do this. I know businesses are hurting but so are the people.”

The bill passed by the Senate on Tuesday was less aggressive than the plan proposed by the House, which would cut the number of weeks of state eligibility to a maximum of 20 weeks. The House plan would also reduce the number of weeks as the jobless rate drops. Both bills could cut the number of weeks of unemployment compensation to as little as 12 weeks.

The current maximum unemployment benefit dollar amount stays the same under the measure, at $275 a week, which opponents pointed out is already near the bottom of states. Federal statistics show the state’s average weekly benefit is just over $230. Employers, who pay into a state trust fund on the first $7,000 of a worker’s wages, have complained that they’ve been hard hit by increases in the tax, which has gone up as unemployment has increased.

Even worse for businesses, the state trust fund has dropped into the red and has had to borrow about $2 billion from the federal government to pay benefits. Interest on that is due, and that payment is being passed on to businesses.

“We need to take all those competing interests, come up with a bill that is fair to everyone – almost impossible- while at the same time work toward making the unemployment trust fund healthy once again,” Detert said.

By Michael Peltier
The News Service of Florida

Comments

5 Responses to “Senate Passes Jobless Package, Sends Back To House”

  1. WORRIED RESIDENT on May 5th, 2011 8:16 pm

    The article said that $275 per week is the MOST that anyone can get right now! No matter how much you have been bringing home from you job. That being said, it’s a fact, the more people make, the more they spend (bills are larger). Please tell me, who are the lazy people who choose/can afford to sit at home, instead of taking a lower paying job? I’m sure people who have been in management are use to bringing home a lot more than $275, and would gladly take a job that would at least pay the bills they have acquired (house, car, etc), because at 275/wk, the likelyhood of them losing all of it is pretty high. Before you post these foolish comments, please take time to THINK them through!!!

  2. eab on May 4th, 2011 10:04 pm

    A community service requirement to collect unemployment would not be a bad idea. 40 hours a week would be. When are the folks gonna look for employment if they are working full time? That is, unless we assume that all who collect unemployment are lazy bums. I don’t think that.

    As far as the jobs that are available, I bet some of the folks on this forum would like to know where they are, Fay. Maybe you could clue them in.

  3. Jane on May 4th, 2011 5:04 pm

    Let’s see, I pay into my unemployment fund. To date I have $19850, but I can only collect $2700 of it? Where does the rest go? I have looked for a job for over a year, every day and in any capacity that I thought I could do. i finally gave up and retired. Escambia County is the worst place to try to find work…if I could even sell my house I’d move somewhere else where I could find a job!!!!

  4. Fay on May 4th, 2011 12:24 pm

    Too many people are sitting at home because they don’t want to work the jobs available. If community service were required in order to get unemployment, a lot more people would work whatever job is available and not hold out for that “management position”. Community service would motivate more to actively try to get a job.

  5. Kay on May 4th, 2011 9:36 am

    I really don’t understand why people who collect anything on the tax payers
    backs are not made to WORK FOR IT. I have no doubt all of us
    can come up with jobs for them to do IF we are going to SUPPORT THEM.
    I think people would also have more self esteem if they were not just
    handed a check. 40 hours of community service never killed anyone.

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