North Carolina: First State To Reject Federal Aid For Long-Term Unemployment

Freedom Outpost ^ | July 3, 2013 | Tim Brown

[EXCH54FE]

The “First in Flight” State, North Carolina, has now become the first state in the Union to reject federal money and put an end to unemployment benefits for 70, 000 people on Monday. The state legislature made the decision citing saving businesses money and to make extra payments on a debt they have which is due in 2015, rather than had been assumed in 2018.

WRAL reports:

State officials adopted the package of benefit cuts and increased taxes for businesses in February, a plan designed to accelerate repayment of a $2.5 billion federal debt. Like many states, North Carolina had racked up the debt by borrowing from Washington after its unemployment fund was drained by jobless benefits during the Great Recession.

The changes go into effect Sunday for North Carolina, which has the country’s fifth-worst jobless rate. The cuts on those who make unemployment claims on or after that day will disqualify the state from receiving federally funded Emergency Unemployment Compensation. That money kicks in after the state’s period of unemployment compensation — now shortened from up to six months to no more than five — runs out. The EUC program is available to long-term jobless in all states. But keeping the money flowing includes a requirement that states can’t cut average weekly benefits.

Because North Carolina leaders cut average weekly benefits for new claims, about 170,000 workers whose state benefits expire this year will lose more than $700 million in EUC payments, the U.S. Labor Department said.

[EXCH54FE]

“You’ve got to pick a point in time where you solve the problem."

Now get off your A$$ and get to work!!

[Dubh_Ghlase]

And you ought to hear the squealing from the piggy trough protesters in Raleigh on Mondays!!! Glad NC is manning-up and making the decisions that Detroit should have made years ago...

[ryderann]

For the first time in many years, I’m proud of Raleigh.

[Adder]

This one is a toughie, especially for construction workers. Used to be they get laid off and wait their week and that was it for the year. Next time they got laid off, they were eligible to draw for the couple weeks. Now, if they get laid off they have a waiting period every time...and its usually no fault of their own...weather or stuff like that can play havoc as this wet year is proving.

The media is doing a good job blaming the pubbies when its actually the dumbles in DC who refused to grant the waiver. So after 20 weeks draw they are done.

Easy enuff to say “get a job” but their aren’t many in the “recovering economy”, not around here in NC at least...But I bet you are going to see folks stirring their stumps a lot more trying to get work. Always a good thing.

[BfloGuy]

Yeah, there comes a point where you have to take a crappy job at less pay. Unless, of course, you can convince a doctor you should be eligible for disability.