Florida House Cracking Down On Unemployment
TALLAHASSEE (CBS4) - A Florida House committee has approved a new unemployment compensation bill that is more business-friendly including a lower unemployment tax rate for Florida companies.
The plan will also make it easier for businesses to fire workers for actions that take place outside of the workplace, according to the News Service of Florida.
The bill is similar to one proposed by Governor Rick Scott and would reduce the duration of state benefits from 26 to 20 weeks. It would maintain the current maximum payout of $275 a week.
The House bill would also tie the duration of future benefits to the state's unemployment rate and shorten the overall length of time benefits would be paid, according to the News Service of Florida.
If the unemployment rate hit 5 percent or less, the maximum number of weeks of state unemployment a person could receive would be 12.
The overall aim of the bill is to make businesses more likely to pick Florida as a new home to their business. It's the latest in a line of pro-business bills including massive tax cuts for the multi-million dollar companies thinking of moving to Florida.
(© 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.)
