A new bill would cut the number of weeks a person could obtain unemployment benefits by up to 50%. This could mean the average Arizonan would likely lose their benefits two weeks before finding a new job.
Arizona Republicans are moving a bill through the Legislature that would slash unemployment benefits from a minimum of 24 weeks to as little as 12, depending on the current jobless rate. The state Department of Economic Security says even in the current market, where the jobless rate is just under 4%, the average time it takes for someone on unemployment benefits to find a job is 14 weeks.
This concerns some Republicans like Rep. Walt Blackman who said it can be harder to find jobs depending on where you live.
“I see it every day in my communities, I talk to people in Walmart, I go to church with them, that are struggling to find jobs. And it does take them awhile," Blackman said.
Though he voted yes in committee, he said before the final House vote, he would like to hear from constituents and community leaders.
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Four people have been wounded or killed in ICE shootings across the county this month — including US citizen Renee Good, who died in Minneapolis after an ICE agent shot into her car’s front window. -
Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed a tax plan proposed by GOP lawmakers that would have aligned with the federal tax code. She also denied the state revenue department’s assertion that her own plan doesn’t align with their guidance. -
Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs is proposing a $17.7 billion state budget focused on affordability projects, but it relies on uncertain federal reimbursements and deals with Republicans that have yet to materialize. -
In a post, the State Department called Mexico’s progress on border security “unacceptable.” Meanwhile, Mexico’s president is calling on the United States to do more to stop the flow of firearms into her country. -
Public health agencies faced a chaotic few days after the Trump administration canceled more than $2 billion in grants for mental health and addiction programs, but then quickly reversed course.
