A job seeker visits a Job News USA career fair in Louisville, Kentucky, on June 23, 2021. A new Kentucky law cuts the maximum duration of unemployment benefits by more than half, to 12 weeks, during periods of low unemployment.
Luke Sharrett | Bloomberg | Getty Images
State legislatures are proposing bills to pare back unemployment insurance programs as the pandemic-era labor market rebounds, continuing a trend seen in the wake of the Great Recession.
Lawmakers in at least nine states have considered legislation this year to amend benefits.
Most seek to decrease the duration of jobless aid. Some would cut the weekly benefit amount or make recipients’ work-search requirements more stringent, according to labor advocates.
A measure in Kentucky became law in March, after the Republican-led legislature overrode the veto of Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat.
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The law cuts the maximum duration of benefits by more than half, to 12 weeks during periods of low unemployment, tying Florida and North Carolina for the shortest duration in the U.S. (Kentucky currently offers up to 26 weeks, the standard adopted by most states.)
Legislation pending in Missouri would slash the maximum duration to eight weeks (from the current 20 weeks) when joblessness is low.
Other bills are pending in Iowa, Louisiana, ...
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