Governor Bill Haslam has signed off on an overhaul to jobless benefits in Tennessee. The package tamps down on possible abuses from people collecting unemployment.
The new law wants to make sure people getting unemployment checks aren’t passing up chances for a new job. It will require them to prove they’re looking for work each week, while auditing thousands of claimants a month.
Jim Brown is state director for the National Federation of Independent Business. Brown says it will eventually help lower the tax employers pay into the state’s jobless fund.
“It’s not an instant fix, but over time you’re going to see small business owners have some relief, and they’re going to hire more.”
The measure would also kick people off unemployment if they lose a chance to get hired by failing a drug test, or refusing to take one.
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