This week Rep. Kirk Schuring (R-Canton) introduced new unemployment compensation solvency legislation (House Bill 382). The bill would make a variety of changes to the state’s unemployment compensation program; it would:

• Raise the taxable wage base from the current $9,500 to $11,000
• Charge employees a new co-insurance payment of 10% of the amount paid by the employer
• Freeze benefits for 10 years
• Reduce the maximum number of benefit weeks from 26 to 24

There is concern that the newest bill to tackle the issue would not be in compliance with Department of Labor requirements. Rep. Schuring views the bill as a starting point for new discussions to fix the state’s unemployment compensation system solvency problems. The House also introduced a resolution (House Joint Resolution 4) that would create a bond fund that could be used to pay off any new debts from the state’s unemployment system. That resolution would need approval of the voters. 10/12/2017