JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - The Missouri House has passed a bill to reduce the duration of state jobless benefits to one of the shortest periods nationally.
House members voted 96-53 Thursday to send the bill to the Senate.
The bill is a revival of a failed 2015 plan to cut the maximum benefits to 13 weeks if the state’s jobless rate is below 6 percent. That’s seven weeks fewer than what’s now allowed.
Missouri’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.5 percent in December.
The maximum number of weeks will rise under Rep. Scott Fitzpatrick’s proposal if the unemployment rate creeps above 6 percent, topping out at 20 weeks if the jobless rate eclipses 9 percent.
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Unemployment bill is HB 1409 .
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