Sen. Ron Wyden proposes $500 million to fix US unemployment systems

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) put out a new bill Wednesday that would overhaul the US’s crumbling unemployment benefits systems.

Over the last year, outdated state unemployment systems have kept jobless Americans from accessing the increased benefits approved by the federal government to curb the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Wyden’s new $500 million plan would create standardized tools for states that choose to adopt them. The Department of Labor would be in charge of creating these tools with the help of outside tech experts.

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