In a victory for working Pennsylvanians, the state House rejected legislation today that would drastically cut unemployment benefits.
House Bill 916 would have lowered average weekly benefits from $324 to $277 and cut benefits overall by more than $632 million annually. That would have amounted to a 20% cut in benefits for out-of-work Pennsylvanians.
The House defeated the bill in a preliminary vote of 79-122 before final passage. Thirty-two Republicans joined all Democrats to vote no on the bill.
House leadership could force another vote on the measure later on, but today’s vote signals a bipartisan opposition to what would have been the single largest cut in unemployment benefits in Pennsylvania history.
Last week, we urged lawmakers to vote against this bill. So have many other working Pennsylvanians. Apparently, House lawmakers are listening.
In a victory for working Pennsylvanians, the state House rejected legislation today that would drastically cut unemployment benefits.
House Bill 916 would have lowered average weekly benefits from $324 to $277 and cut benefits overall by more than $632 million annually. That would have amounted to a 20% cut in benefits for out-of-work Pennsylvanians.
The House defeated the bill in a preliminary vote of 79-122 before final passage. Thirty-two Republicans joined all Democrats to vote no on the bill.
House leadership could force another vote on the measure later on, but today’s vote signals a bipartisan opposition to what would have been the single largest cut in unemployment benefits in Pennsylvania history.
Last week, we urged lawmakers to vote against this bill. So have many other working Pennsylvanians. Apparently, House lawmakers are listening.