Commissioner Thurmond to Testify in Washington
Tony Potts
04-22-2009
Georgia Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond has been invited to
address the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Income Security
and Family Support in Washington, D. C. The subcommittee is
reviewing the implementation and the impact of unemployment
insurance provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act. The hearing will be held Thursday, April 23, at 10 a.m. in
B-318 Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D. C.
Commissioner Thurmond was invited to participate in the hearing by Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA), chairman of the Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support of the Committee on Ways and Means.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides up to a total of $7 billion in modernization grants to states that have put in place specific reforms designed to increase access to unemployment insurance benefits for jobless workers. The reforms includes an alternative base period when determining eligibility for benefits, extending benefits to part-time workers and providing additional benefits to claimants in training for high demand occupations. All of these benefits will be administered by state unemployment agencies.
The measure also provided federal funds used to increase the amount of weekly unemployment benefits by $25. Additionally, the legislation increases administrative funding for processing unemployment claims, temporarily suspends taxes on unemployment insurance benefits up to $2,400, and waives interest payments for state unemployment insurance programs requiring loans through next year.
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