MADISON, Wis. (AP) ~ Gov. Tony Evers wants to boost Wisconsin’s unemployment benefits and eliminate some requirements to qualify for them.
The changes included in Evers’ budget proposal would raise the maximum rate for unemployment benefits from $370 to $406 a week.
Critics say the state should not raise benefits at a time of record-low unemployment. Scott Manley, a vice president at the business lobby Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, says the state shouldn’t “make it too comfortable to remain unemployed.”
The State Journal reports Evers administration officials say the state’s benefits are less than most other states. The governor wants to eliminate, among other requirements, the state’s one-week waiting period to qualify for benefits. He would also drop a requirement that applicants submit to drug testing to receive benefits.
Information from: Wisconsin State Journal, http://www.madison.com/wsj
