Politics

Jindal's Stimulus Stand: Won't Take Unemployment Benefits From Feds

By Marc Ambinder

Just got a statement from the Louisiana Governor's spokesperson:
"Today, Governor Bobby Jindal announced that the state will not change its law to use a part of the $787 billion federal stimulus bill that would result in an unemployment insurance tax increase on Louisiana businesses. The Governor also announced that the state will use a provision in the legislation to increase state unemployment benefits for recipients by an extra $25 per week, and reaffirmed his acceptance of the transportation funds included in the bill to fund shovel-ready transportation priorities in the state." 
His reasoning: the federal government won't pay the money forever, so taxpayers and businesses would have to foot the bill for the bigger dole. Jindal, in the statement, urges other states to take a look at the provision. In lieu of the government money, Jindal said that the state would increase its unemployment payments by $25 per week. 
Marc Ambinder is a senior fellow at the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy.