Unemployment insurance for 3 million in jeopardy as Congress leaves for vacation

More than 3 million people throughout the U.S. could lose their unemployment insurance next year if Congress cannot breach an impasse that has stalled the legislative process. Federal lawmakers are currently deliberating on how to extend the federal insurance benefits program given the rising costs seen within the system. The 2008 recession has had drastic effects on the nation’s workforce, pushing many out of jobs they have had for decades. Unemployment reached record highs throughout the nation, putting immense financial strain on the unemployment insurance system. Legislators have yet to…

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Michigan lawmakers make changes to state’s unemployment insurance system

Several legislations were passed by the Michigan Legislature this week. Many of these legislations held provisions that will make deeper cuts to the state’s unemployment insurance system, if signed into law by Governor Rick Snyder. The state’s unemployment insurance system has already seen changes earlier in the year, when lawmakers passed new legislations that limited the maximum benefits people could receive. These new changes will have a profound impact on how benefits are calculated for residents and will change who is eligible to receive these benefits. The legislations aim to…

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Unemployment insurance rates spike in Alaska, Governor balks at current law

The Alaskan Department of Labor has issued notifications to businesses throughout the state letting them know that they will be paying more for unemployment insurance next year. The new rates have yet to be reviewed by the state’s insurance regulators, but insurance companies claim that higher rates are necessary to ensure that the state’s unemployment trust fund remains solvent and that insurers themselves have to recover from high unemployment rates. Governor Sean Parnell argues that the rates are excessive, as the state’s trust fund holds more than $234 million and…

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