Extension of Jobless Benefits – Wisconsin

Jobless benefits backed by state panel, By Jason Stein and Paul Gores, June 23, 2011, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “A state advisory council voted unanimously Thursday to endorse legislation to make available $89 million in federally funded jobless benefits for more than 10,000 unemployed workers in the state. The federal money would extend benefits for qualifying workers by 13 weeks, giving a total of 86 weeks of coverage. It would not add to some $1.3 billion in debt weighing down the state’s unemployment fund. That debt, however, still presents great challenges. The state Department of Workforce Development is mailing letters to businesses notifying them of a special assessment that will be used to pay nearly $50 million of interest on the money that the state has borrowed from the federal government for jobless claims made in the midst of the recession. That underscored the need for a comprehensive plan to pay down the state’s debt, members of the state Unemployment Insurance Advisory Council said…”