To: Governor Roy Cooper
Save Federal Unemployment Benefits for 70,000
The decision to shut down federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation in North Carolina is without precedent nationally. It is both a self-inflicted wound to the state's economy and an act of government callousness. Please take action before July 1 to make sure North Carolina families are not pushed over the cliff that has been unnecessarily created by HB 4. Change the bill so that the new unemployment system begins in January 2014 to restore this program for these families.
Why is this important?
The North Carolina governor and a state legislator made a callous decision to change unemployment benefits under HB 4 beginning in July 2013 rather than January 2014. Not being able to wait six months is now forcing the loss of federal unemployment benefits to over 70,000 individuals and families like myself who are still struggling to find work. North Carolina has the fifth highest unemployment rate in the country.