Unemployment Extensions 2012.. (compensation, agreement, get, Hawaii)

[LynnHarris]

I hope that both sides can finally come to an agreement before the end of the year...

Obama pressures Congress to extend payroll tax cut , says economic recovery still fragile


http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/obama-pressures-congress-to-1251750.html

[C.C]

Originally Posted by Ariadne22

Guy on CNBC said this morning that number was based on household surveys - which are notoriously unreliable.

Every month's unemployment rate is based on the CPS - it surveys 60,000 households. What is there about it that makes it "notoriously unreliable"? Is there some evidence that past unemployment rate measurements were significantly wrong?

[LynnHarris]

Reid Seeks to Break Impasse on Payroll Tax Cuts, Unemployment


http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-12-06/reid-seeks-to-break-impasse-on-payroll-tax-cuts-unemployment.html

[Bella45]

Does anyone know when Congress plans to break for the holidays? It seems like they would have to get this settled by the end of this week, does anyone have any insight on that ?

[LynnHarris]

Here is the unemployment extension plan the republicans are proposing...




Unemployment Extension: 'What Are They Waiting On?'


While we don't have all the details, in this case the devil is made plain in the general outlines of the Republican proposal," Levin said in a statement. "The plan Republicans presented this morning would slash federal unemployment insurance by more than half, cutting by 40 weeks Americans' eligibility for assistance -- even as we continue to emerge from the worst recession in 80 years. Also very concerning are indications that Republicans may propose undermining access to regular state unemployment benefits in the future."


The GOP's plan would shorten the maximum duration workers can receive federal unemployment benefits from 73 weeks to 33 weeks, CNN reported. Federal jobless benefits kick in for people who don't find work before running out of state aid, which typically lasts 26 weeks. Part of that reduction presumably would come from allowing the federal "Extended Benefits" program -- which supplies the final 20 weeks of aid for workers in states with high unemployment rates -- to phase out in 2012, which will happen anyway unless Congress proactively changes federal law to allow states to remain eligible. The Republican plan could achieve further reductions by incorporating legislation passed by a House committee earlier this year that would allow states to redirect federal jobless funds from benefits to paying down state debt to the federal government....


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/08/unemployment-extension_n_1137403.html

[C.C]

Originally Posted by LynnHarris

Here is the unemployment extension plan the republicans are proposing...




Unemployment Extension: 'What Are They Waiting On?'


While we don't have all the details, in this case the devil is made plain in the general outlines of the Republican proposal," Levin said in a statement. "The plan Republicans presented this morning would slash federal unemployment insurance by more than half, cutting by 40 weeks Americans' eligibility for assistance -- even as we continue to emerge from the worst recession in 80 years. Also very concerning are indications that Republicans may propose undermining access to regular state unemployment benefits in the future."


The GOP's plan would shorten the maximum duration workers can receive federal unemployment benefits from 73 weeks to 33 weeks, CNN reported. Federal jobless benefits kick in for people who don't find work before running out of state aid, which typically lasts 26 weeks. Part of that reduction presumably would come from allowing the federal "Extended Benefits" program -- which supplies the final 20 weeks of aid for workers in states with high unemployment rates -- to phase out in 2012, which will happen anyway unless Congress proactively changes federal law to allow states to remain eligible. The Republican plan could achieve further reductions by incorporating legislation passed by a House committee earlier this year that would allow states to redirect federal jobless funds from benefits to paying down state debt to the federal government....


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/08/unemployment-extension_n_1137403.html

33 weeks on top of the standard 26 weeks seems pretty reasonable to me. We're 2.5 years into the "recovery" now - how many weeks were available at this point in previous recoveries?

If the economy falters they can always add more benefits later, but of course none of this affects people who lost their jobs while the economy was actually in recession. If you lost your job in June 2009, the last month of the recession, your benefits have long since expired...

[Ariadne22]

Conjecturing here. Sounds like federal benefits would be reduced to:

20 weeks Tier 1
13 weeks Tier 2

[bobtn]

I had assumed several dozen weeks would be shaved, but 1 year and 7 weeks is far more than were available in prior recessions, especially year after year after year.

I would actually prefer to see a system where benefits started at perhaps 125% where they are now for first 26 weeks, and dropped to 100% for tier 2, and 20% more for each additional tier. Most people hitting late tiers can get rehired, but for far less than prior pay, so having benes go down would provide incentives to accept the haircut.

[Maturerev]

Another thing that hasn't been mentioned from another article is that they are also proposing drug testing of recipients to be eligible to continue benefits.

[LynnHarris]

Here is an article about that topic -- but I don't think it will get a lot of support.


Bill seeks to require drug screening for jobless benefits


http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/12/want-jobless-benefits-be-prepared-to-take-a-drug-test-lawmaker-proposes-.html?dlvrit=56325