Wisconsin GOP pushing law to spy on and seize bank accounts of unemployed

[Camille]

So much for SMALL government. Diary from DKos, but it links to rawstory.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/...-spy-on-and-seize-bank-accounts-of-unemployed

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/06/...spy-on-and-seize-bank-accounts-of-unemployed/

A law is advancing through the Wisconsin state legislature that would double the job-seeking requirements for people collecting unemployment and which would allow the government to peer into their bank accounts and freeze them if they believe the account holder has received overpayments in their benefits. According to the Wisconsin State Journal, the co-authors of the bill, which was introduced in the state Assembly and Senate on Friday, insist that the changes would be for workers’ own good.

“This is to protect the workers and lessen the burden on employers who are paying all the bills,” said state Rep. Dan Knodl (R-Germantown).

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Democratic state Rep. Christine Sinicki (Milwaukee) said that the law is another salvo by Republicans against working people and the middle class. She also worried that Republicans would make the bill even more intrusive and draconian during the legislative mark-up process.

This is yet another outrageous assault on working people and the unemployed.

I was working last week. I got my layoff/separation notice Friday. I am unemployed Monday. It's the 6th time I have been laid off in 20 years and the 4 time since I bought my home and the 3rd time since I got married.

Republicans have elevated blaming the victims of capitalism to a high art. And the Unemployed are VICTIMS of GOP economic policies.

It would force job applicants to apply for twice as many jobs to remain eligible for benefits. Currently employment seekers must apply for two jobs per week to keep unemployment benefits flowing. The new law raises that number to four.

There are no jobs. Republicans worked to kill jobs the Obama administration had set up - killed rail projects as a 2-fer: no rail for efficient transport (aids big oil and big auto and big credit) and killed jobs.

Wall Street and the 1% are off-shoring TRILLIONS of dollars, APPLE wants laws changed so it can bring billions of untaxed dollars into the US and republicans want to spy on back accounts of the POOR?

It's wholly mean-spirited, part of the GOP agenda to be as mean and awful to the poor as possible.

It is unacceptable.

 

[Camille]

The rawstory:

A law is advancing through the Wisconsin state legislature that would double the job-seeking requirements for people collecting unemployment and which would allow the government to peer into their bank accounts and freeze them if they believe the account holder has received overpayments in their benefits. According to the Wisconsin State Journal, the co-authors of the bill, which was introduced in the state Assembly and Senate on Friday, insist that the changes would be for workers’ own good.

“This is to protect the workers and lessen the burden on employers who are paying all the bills,” said state Rep. Dan Knodl (R-Germantown).

The bill also addresses the concerns of businesses which say that the state has not done enough to train judges on how to rule in disputes between companies and employees.

Democratic state Rep. Christine Sinicki (Milwaukee) said that the law is another salvo by Republicans against working people and the middle class. She also worried that Republicans would make the bill even more intrusive and draconian during the legislative mark-up process.

Knodl said the aim of the legislation is to move the state’s unemployment fund to solvency. Wisconsin is one of 31 states that had to borrow from the federal government to pay out unemployment benefits. At its highest point, Wisconsin’s debt to the federal government was nearly $1.5 billion, although in April of 2013, the amount was significantly less than that, $476 million, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Among the changes included in the Republican-backed legislation would slightly increase the maximum allowable benefit by $7 to $370 per week, it would render anyone cut off from receiving benefits for not taking a job ineligible to ever receive benefits again until they find a job that pays at least six times his or her benefit rate at the time of termination of benefits. The current requirement is four times their benefit rate.

It would force job applicants to apply for twice as many jobs to remain eligible for benefits. Currently employment seekers must apply for two jobs per week to keep unemployment benefits flowing. The new law raises that number to four.

Currently, people receiving educational or vocational training in order to qualify for a job can continue to receive unemployment benefits past their original expiration date. The new law would stop those payments.

The bill mandates that banks and financial institutions must hand over the private account information of any people suspected by the government of receiving overpayments.

In the event of overpayments, even those caused by government error or computer malfunctions, the government would be able to freeze and collect from the accounts of people receiving unemployment.

Assembly Bill 219 and Senate Bill 200 will go before legislative committees for consideration on Wednesday, June 5.

 

[Upgrade Dave]

I'm just speechless.

 

[QueEx]

Is this legislation an attempt by the Wisconsin legislature to fix well-documented
problems identified as creating a drain on the state’s unemployment fund -- or an
overreaction by those who are generally opposed to paying these kinds of benefits
in the first instance ??? I may have missed it, but I didn't see in the article where
adopting the legislation was designed to solve a particular problem

 

[mike123]

u get what u vote for

 

[thoughtone]