From The Lexington Herald-Leader: ‘Salt in the wounds of laid-off Kentuckians.’ Bill slashing jobless benefits advances.
By JOHN CHEVES
FRANKFORT -- A bill that would cut jobless benefits for unemployed Kentuckians advanced to the state House floor on Thursday after the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce told lawmakers it would “get people back to work quicker.”
House Bill 317, sponsored by state Rep. Russell Webber, would reduce unemployment insurance coverage from 26 weeks to 20 weeks. It also would readjust how benefits are paid, raising the payment rate slightly above current levels for the first five weeks, then steadily lowering them every five weeks after that. And it would shrink a key multiplier used to calculate a person’s benefits.
Critics warned lawmakers that although the statewide unemployment rate had fallen to 4.4 percent as of December, most job growth since the 2008 recession has occurred in the state’s urban areas.