HB146 extends the minimum weeks of state “unemployment benefits” available from 12 weeks to 16 weeks.
The House passed HB146 on March 13, 2023, by a vote of 94 to 0. We have assigned minuses to the yeas because there exists no right to a wage or remuneration apart from a person earning it themselves through their own labor or investment. As government has no money of its own, the reality is that so-called “unemployment benefits,” despite being organized by the state, are nothing but an illegitimate “insurance” mandate (i.e., tax) on employers—the cost of which is ultimately paid for by hard-working employees. Unfortunately, the state-subsidizing or compulsory financing of unemployed individuals only undermines work ethic and profit incentive, creating more unemployment and poor people dependent on the government for income. The State of Kentucky must not be permitted to pursue such policies that are beyond its proper constitutional scope and authority.