Democratic senators introduce unemployment insurance bill

Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the majority whip, Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island said in a release that their legislation would save states from having to raise taxes and protect the long-term health of unemployment benefits. 

“This is the kind of common sense, fiscally responsible proposal that America must have more of as we work to create more jobs and reduce our debt,” Durbin said in a statement.

Still, it remains to be seen how much progress this sort of measure, or the proposal in the president’s budget, will make in Congress. When the White House announced its plan on unemployment insurance, it was sharply criticized by the top Republicans on both the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee — Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah and Rep. Dave Camp of Michigan, respectively. 

The president’s budget would, after the two-year freeze on interest payments, allow $15,000 in wages to become eligible for unemployment taxes, up from the current $7,000. A Senate aide said the introduced legislation would also raise the minimum wage base to $15,000.

In their release, the senators also noted research that asserts that unemployment insurance can help stimulate the economy during a downturn. 

The National Employment Law Project also praised the senators’ move. Christine Owens, the group’s executive director, said the legislation and the president’s budget set up “a serious conversation on how to make sure that the safety net that tens of millions of Americans have counted on during the tough times of the last few years will be financially secure into the future.”