Articles Tagged: Unemployment

Recap of news from across the state

Iowa will become just the fourth state with 16 weeks or fewer of state unemployment benefits under legislation that needs only Gov. Kim Reynolds’ signature to become law.

In addition to vouchers, K-12 transparency, unemployment benefits, a proposed ethanol mandate, and the bottle bill remain on lawmakers’ to-do list.

There appears to be some significant ground to cover before the Republican-led Iowa House and Senate reach an agreement on those issues.

GOP says changes needed to modernize, put focus on re-employment. The legislationm they say, updates a system from the 1930s when unemployment compensation was the sole safety net for out-of-work Iowans.

With just 23 calendar days — which means closer to 18 actual legislative work days, since lawmakers rarely work on Fridays — remaining until lawmakers’ expense reimbursements run out, the push to adjournment begins in earnest next week.

Iowa’s seasonally adjusted jobless rate in January dropped to 3.7 percent, down from 3.9 percent in December, according to Iowa Workforce Development.

Among the bills that need at least some movement to survive this week’s funnel deadline are Republicans’ attempts to address what they consider transparency in public school curriculum.

During a rally at the Iowa Capitol on Monday, a coalition of advocacy organizations called for a moratorium on new factory farms. Elsewhere at the Capitol: Senate Republicans advance changes to Iowa’s unemployment system, including a reduction in the time to receive benefits.

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits declined for the third straight week.

Applications for U.S. state unemployment insurance fell for a second week.

Initial jobless claims totaled 260,000 in the week ended Jan. 22, down 30,000 from the week before, U.S. Labor Department data shows.

Iowa’s seasonally adjusted jobless rate fell to 3.5 percent in December, the Iowa Workforce Development said Tuesday.

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week to the highest level since mid-November. Iowa also reports claims on the rise.

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose this past week despite signs that the U.S. labor market is rebounding from the coronavirus recession.