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- Wyden is introducing a bill to mandate states provide at least 26 weeks of benefits.
- "This system has been intentionally broken to minimize the numbers of jobless workers who can access it," he said in a statement.
- The Oregon Democrat wants to include the measure in a $3.5 trillion spending plan.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, unveiled a new bill on Monday to compel states to provide at least 26 weeks of unemployment benefits, a move aimed at establishing a uniform standard for jobless Americans.
The legislation is an attempt to forge a national standard out of the country's patchwork of state unemployment systems, which vary greatly from one state to the next. For example, Florida residents qualify for up to 19 weeks of jobless payments, but Alabama residents can only get unemployment checks for 14 weeks, per the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
"This proposal makes a down payment on long-overdue reform to our unemployment system, and was designed to fit in our upcoming package," Wyden said in a statement to Insider. "This system has been intentionally broken to minimize the numbers of jobless workers who can access it, and we're going take significant steps toward fixing it."
The measure is also backed by Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Michael Bennet of Colorado. Brown heads the Senate Banking Committee.
Wyden said the plan would ensure six months of benefits and coverage for part-time workers and improve the administration of aging state unemployment programs. The bill would compel state online filing systems to be available around the clock and be accessible for non-English speakers, among other fixes. It also intends to prevent states from cutting the length of unemployment benefits, as many did after the Great Recession.
Bennet, Brown, and Wyden want the measure to form part of the Democratic $3.5 trillion spending plan that's moving through Congress. It is not clear whether the provisions will garner unanimous support from all 50 Senate Democrats needed to clear the party-line reconciliation process.
Wyden has long pushed to overhaul how states manage their unemployment programs after many melted down at the onset of the pandemic. Millions of out-of-work Americans reported delays in receiving checks, with many jamming phone lines or lining up at state offices in frantic efforts to secure government assistance.
Last year, Congress approved several measures to beef up unemployment checks, with $600 per week from March 2020 through July 2020. After a lapse, lawmakers authorized $300 weekly federal benefits from December 2020 until September 6, along with extending eligibility to gig workers and long-term unemployed people.
Those federal initiatives expired on Labor Day, cutting off at least 8.5 million people from all jobless aid.