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

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Legislative leaders sped the bill through the statde Senateand Assembly, because 56,000 New Yorkera were scheduled to go off unemployment at the end of this Now, unemployment benefits for those and 64,000 others, will continue Paterson said the extended benefits will not increase the unemployment insurancee tax assessed on employers. The legislation enablew the state touse $645 million of federal stimulus money to pay for the extended benefits. “Unemploymenr benefits are automatic stimulus, alont with food stamps. People who are out of work stil need tospend money,” Paterson said at a press The statewide unemployment rate was 8.
1 percent in not adjusted for seasonal variances. That is 3.1 percent highere than the same time ayear ago. The state’s unemploymenyt fund went broke at the start of this and the state expects toborrow $1.4 billion this year to pay out unemploymenf benefits. At least 430,000 people are receiving unemployment benefitz from the stateright now. The extra benefitzs will cost the state and itscounties $28 milliojn in administrative and other costs, Paterso n said. That will be paid for using revenus from an increase in personal incometaxes that’z included in the state budget. New York unemployment benefitw last for26 weeks. The maximum weekly benefitr is $405.
The state called on statd leaders to raise the maximum benefitr and index it to so that it would increasseevery year. Several bills have been introducedf in the Legislature to dojust that, and pay for the increasesz by raising taxes on employers. “Unfortunately, Gov. Paterson and the statde Legislature have yet to buildon [Presidenft Obama’s] initiative by enacting necessary reformse at the state This includes increasing the state’ws embarrassingly low maximum benefit, indexing that benefit and restorinhg our chronically underfunded unemployment trust fund to said union president Denis Hughes.
Paterson and otherr state leaders could not say what will happen at the end ofthe 13-weel period. “Like with everything else, there’s a point that we’rw not able to help anymore. We’ll work righrt up until when that day comes to try to get New Yorkerd back to work and sustain themwhen they’re out of Paterson said. The law clarifies the state’x unemployment law to make sure it complies with federal stimulus provisions. The law now says that peopld can receive unemployment benefits if they leavw workbecause of: Supporters said those reasons had been affirmexd before in court cases.
“This is real moneuy in the pockets of real people livint acrossthe state,” said Assemblywomahn Susan John (D-Rochester), chairwoman of the Assemblyh labor committee. asichko@bizjournals.com | 518-640-6817