An overhaul of North Carolina's unemployment insurance system has cleared one chamber at the General Assembly and may quickly be heading to the other.
The House voted Tuesday in favor of the bill that eliminates more quickly nearly $2.6 billion the state owes the federal government for jobless claims and generates a $2 billion cushion for the next recession. The margin was similar to Monday night's preliminary vote on the House floor.
The bill would require higher taxes for business but reduce maximum benefits for unemployed workers and eliminate most "good cause" exceptions to receive benefits.
Republicans who crafted the bill again turned back more Democratic amendments Tuesday and sent the proposal on to the Senate, where the chamber's finance committee was set to consider similar legislation Wednesday afternoon.
(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
