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State Senate President Calls Unemployment Issues ‘Catastrophic Government Failure’

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — The top leader of the Ohio Senate says the issues with the state’s unemployment compensation system represent a catastrophic government failure.

Sen. Matt Huffman explains his bill to reporters
Sen. Matt Huffman explains his bill to reporters. [Jo Ingles | Statehouse News Bureau]
Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima) says Ohio’s unemployment compensation fund has been plagued by insolvency, technical issues and long wait times.

“This catastrophic government failure is the result of many years of not addressing how the system works,” says Huffman.

The system is also dealing with a large influx in what state labor officials think are fraudulent claims.

A new commission of lawmakers is studying possible updates to the system, but is not considering whether it’s appropriately funded, which some critics say has long been an issue.

Huffman says the Senate’s insurance committee also plans to take a closer look at the unemployment system.

Bipartisan attempts to make the unemployment fund solvent by cutting benefits and increasing employer fees have fallen short for several years in the Ohio legislature.