House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp and Senate Finance Committee Ranking Republican Orrin Hatch have introduced a bill that, they say, would improve the unemployment insurance (UI) system by “forward funding” federal UI payments to states. That sounds good and, in fact, “forward funding” is a worthy goal, as explained below. But, their bill actually would let states take federal funds that are supposed to help the long-term unemployed and use them for other purposes. That not only would hurt some of the most vulnerable Americans but also would slow the economic recovery.
off the charts
POLICY INSIGHT
BEYOND THE NUMBERS
BEYOND THE NUMBERS
Missouri Does U-Turn on UI, Cutting Benefits
April 14, 2011
On the way to passing legislation to continue existing unemployment insurance (UI) benefits for a few more months, the Missouri legislature did a U-turn and ended up taking benefits away from workers — permanently. This radical change, which Governor Nixon signed yesterday, will hurt the state economy now and in future recessions.
For State and Local Workforce, the Recession’s Still On
April 1, 2011
Teachers, nurses, police officers, and others who work for state and local governments are still suffering from the impact of the recession.
Michigan Didn’t Have to Cut Unemployment Benefits
March 31, 2011
Michigan this week cut the maximum length of state unemployment insurance (UI) benefits next year to 20 weeks. Every other state provides at least 26 weeks, as has Michigan since the 1950s, but Michigan officials said they couldn’t afford to do that anymore. They’re wrong. Not only is the Michigan approach bad for workers and the economy, but it was shortsighted and unnecessary. There’s a better way — and South Carolina offers a great example.
Fixing Broken State Unemployment Insurance Systems
February 9, 2011
The systems for financing unemployment insurance (UI) in many states are broken, and without major reforms, will remain broken for many years, requiring years of high federal taxes on employers and threatening UI’s role as a key economic stabilizer during recessions.
CBO: Up to 3.6 Million People Owe Their Jobs to the Recovery Act
November 29, 2010
A new Congressional Budget Office analysis finds that the 2009 Recovery Act(ARRA) is continuing to save jobs and protect the economy from what would have been a much deeper recession. As we describe in an updated analysis, in the third quarter of 2010 the Recovery Act:
CBO: Up to 3.3 Million People Owe Their Jobs to the Recovery Act
August 24, 2010
A new Congressional Budget Office analysis finds that the 2009 Recovery Act is
continuing to save jobs and protect the economy from what would have been a much deeper recession. As of June, the Recovery Act had:
Prospects Brighten for State Assistance
June 8, 2010
Good news for education, health care, public safety, human services, and – oh yes – good news for the economy:
2.8 Million More Reasons to Like the Recovery Act
May 27, 2010
A new Congressional Budget Office analysis, which we’ve briefly summarized here, finds that the Recovery Act is continuing to save jobs and protect the economy from what would have been a much worse recession. As of March, the Recovery Act had: