South Carolina Unemployed Workers to Receive Much Needed Lifeline

Over 7,000 unemployed workers in South Carolina are breathing a sigh of relief this morning as the legislature votes to approve extending unemployment benefit payments.

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford is expected to sign a measure today that will extend unemployment benefit payments to thousands of unemployed workers who have exhausted their benefits. The new bill provides for an additional seven weeks of benefits for unemployed workers. The bill comes on the heels of a week long debate in the SC House that attempted to determine how such an important piece of legislation was overlooked in the first place. State Representative Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg, filed a bill in April of 2009 to begin rectifying the issue. However the bill sat in committee and when the legislature adjourned in June, the matter had not been resolved. Cobb-Hunter blames partisan politics for delaying the bill’s progress. Blame has also been aimed at the South Carolina Employment Security Commission for failing to inform legislatures that the law needed to be passed in order to continue benefit payments. Earlier this week, members reconvened for a special two day session to rectify this important issue, which they voted to approve on Wednesday. Without the approval of this bill, over 7,000 unemployed workers would be left with no lifeline and no means of support. Because of the delay in passing this legislation, some unemployed individuals have already begun to miss benefit checks. However, according to SC Representative Kenny Bingham, unemployed workers who have stopped receiving checks will receive retroactive payments for the weeks missed in a single lump sum. In addition, all payments should resume within one week. South Carolina currently stands at fifth in the rankings for highest unemployment among all U.S states at 11.6%. Since the beginning of 2009, over 113,000 South Carolinians have exhausted their unemployment benefits.