Conditional Unemployment Bill Advances
House panel OKs conditions on unemployment benefits
BY MICHAEL MCNUTT NewsOK.com
Thursday, February 14, 2013
2/14/2013 5:17:01 AM
OKLAHOMA CITY – A measure that requires terminated employees to prove that they weren’t fired for misconduct, such as willfully disregarding regulations or chronic absenteeism, in order to receive unemployment benefits passed a legislative committee Wednesday.
Backers said House Bill 1911 would cut down on fraud, which would result in more benefits being available for those who are legitimately collecting unemployment. Opponents said the measure, written by the State Chamber and others with business interests, would make it harder for the unemployed to receive money for food and housing.
The House of Representatives Economic Development and Financial Services Committee voted 8-4 to pass HB 1911. The vote was along party lines, with Republicans supporting it and Democrats opposing it. The bill now goes to the full House.
“This bill is a setup,” said committee member Richard Morrissette, D-Oklahoma City, who called the bill, by House Speaker T.W. Shannon, R-Lawton, a “piece of trash.”