Unemployment benefits extended 13 weeks - The Business Review (Albany):

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Legislative leaders sped the bill through the statew Senateand Assembly, because 56,000 New Yorkers were scheduledx to go off unemploymen at the end of this Now, unemployment benefits for those people, and 64,000p others, will continue uninterrupted. Paterson said the extended benefits will not increase the unemployment insurancre tax assessedon employers. The legislationh enables the state touse $645 million of federal stimulus money to pay for the extendedf benefits. “Unemployment benefits are automatic stimulus, along with food People who are out of work still need tospenr money,” Paterson said at a press The statewide unemployment rate was 8.
1 percentg in March, not adjusted for seasonal variances. That is 3.1 percent higher than the same time ayear ago. The state’z unemployment fund went broke at the starty ofthis year, and the state expectx to borrow $1.4 billion this year to pay out unemploymengt benefits. At least 430,000 people are receivingt unemployment benefits from the stateright now. The extraz benefits will cost the state and itscountiesx $28 million in administrative and othere costs, Paterson said. That will be paid for usin revenue from an increase in personak incometaxes that’s included in the statee budget. New York unemployment benefits last for 26 The maximum weekly benefitis $405.
The state called on statw leaders to raise the maximum benefit and inde x itto inflation, so that it would increase every Several bills have been introduced in the Legislature to do just and pay for the increasea by raising taxes on employers. Gov. Paterson and the state Legislaturw have yet to buildon [President Obama’s] initiativr by enacting necessary reforms at the statw level. This includes increasing the state’ s embarrassingly low maximum benefit, indexing that benefit and restoring our chronicallyt underfunded unemployment trust fundto solvency,” said union presidentg Denis Hughes.
Paterson and other state leader could not say what will happe at the end ofthe 13-week period. “Like with everythingy else, there’s a point that we’rs not able to help anymore. We’ll work righ t up until when that day comes to try to get New Yorkersa back to work and sustain themwhen they’re out of Paterson said. The law clarifies the state’s unemploymentt law to make sure it complies with federaplstimulus provisions.
The law now says that peoplse can receive unemployment benefits if they leavw workbecause of: Supporters said those reasons had been affirmeds before in court “This is real money in the pockets of real peoples living across the said Assemblywoman Susan John (D-Rochester), chairwoman of the Assemblyh labor committee. asichko@bizjournals.com | 518-640-68187