Governor Gets Bill to Increase Jobless Benefits

A bill that would raise California’s maximum unemployment benefits from $166 to $188 a week and tighten eligibility standards is on its way to Gov. George Deukmejian.

The Senate gave the measure final legislative approval Friday on a 22-13 vote despite opposition from business interests, which wanted to make it even tougher to qualify for the benefits.

Deukmejian vetoed a similar measure last year.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Herschel Rosenthal (D-Los Angeles) would cut off unemployment payments for 35,000 to 40,000 people by raising the minimum amount workers must earn in a year to qualify for benefits.

Slight Reduction

And it would slightly reduce the rate of unemployment insurance taxes paid by employers.

Starting next Jan. 1, a worker would have to take in $1,550 during a base year or earn $1,175 total during the year and $20 in each of eight weeks to qualify for benefits.

Rosenthal said California’s unemployment rates are woefully low and contended that the bill’s supporters had done enough to tighten eligibility standards.

But Sen. Edward R. Royce (R-Anaheim) claimed the bill did not include the “significant improvements in eligibility requirements” that should accompany a benefit increase.

And Sen. Rose Ann Vuich (D-Dinuba) contended that higher benefits would create “an incentive for the unemployed to stay unemployed.”