Senator wants more people eligible to collect unemployment benefits

An Ohio senator wants nearly a half-million more Ohioans to be eligible for unemployment payments to give the state one of the lowest payment thresholds in the nation.

Sen. Teresa Fedor, D-Toledo, introduced a bill to lower the amount people must make to qualify for unemployment to $1,500 — the current level is $5,960 — and at least $1,000 in one quarter while keeping the 20-week work requirement.

“We desperately need to reform our unemployment system to make sure it is ready to assist workers and families when they need it,” Fedor said. “Ohio’s unemployment system is out of step with the rest of the nation. Modifying how much we require jobless workers to earn to qualify for these benefits will bring us in line with many other states.”

Fedor said Ohio’s current requirement of $5,960 is higher than only three other states. In 2021, 11 states had earnings requirements less than the $1,500 in a year. Two others had a requirement of $1,500, according to Strategic Services on Unemployment and Workers’ Compensation, an organization that represents employers on unemployment compensation policy.

Policy Matters Ohio, an Ohio-based research institute, said the state’s earnings threshold excludes more than 15% of all workers, or about 750,000 Ohioans, from qualifying for unemployment compensation if they lose their job. It estimates that nearly 460,000 of these workers would receive coverage under the new bill.

Fedor’s bill comes as the state’s June jobless numbers remained at 3.9%, slightly above the national average. Also, the labor force participation rate remained at 62%.

That’s a concern for some economists, who see a slowing in economic recovery.

“Although the unemployment rate remained steady, Ohio lost 5,400 private-sector jobs compared to May. More than half of those lost jobs came from the manufacturing sector as higher prices and concerns about future sales impacted the industry,” said Rea S. Hederman Jr., executive director of the Economic Research Center at The Buckeye Institute and vice president of policy. “June’s report is the second consecutive month of poor job growth, another troubling sign for the Buckeye State’s economic recovery.”

Senate Bill 355 awaits fiscal analysis by the Ohio Legislative Service Commission and assignment to committee.