Seasonal employees, many in construction, may become ineligible for unemployment benefits in Indiana if the state passes what is now working its way through the legislature as House Bill 1379. The bill would raise unemployment taxes on businesses and require workers to work at least 42 weeks out of the year to be eligible. The current cutoff is less than 26 weeks. Key quote:
“There are obviously people who are using the fund every year as part of their income, and I don’t think the fund was ever intended for that,” said Senate President David Long, R-Fort Wayne. “At the same time, a lot of those workers are highly paid and are compensated because they don’t work all year round.”