Weekly unemployment claims increase in Missouri as legislation seeks to limit benefits

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Unemployment claims in Missouri took a substantial jump in the latest weekly report.

The report for the week ending on April 9 shows that 10,108 claims were filed, according to the Missouri Department of Labor. Missourians filed 2,906 claims for the week ending on April 2.

In March, the state's unemployment claims held steady at around 2 to 3 thousand claims each week.

Missouri's unemployment rate may soon play a larger role for those looking for unemployment benefits. The Missouri House of Representatives passed legislation that would limit benefits based on the unemployment rate.

State representatives sent House Bill 1860 to the Missouri Senate on Thursday following a 94 to 41 vote. The measure would change the number of weeks Missourians could collect benefits based on the unemployment rate. The lower the rate is, the shorter the benefits would be for Missourians.

In the proposed legislation, if Missouri's unemployment rate is above 9%, Missourians would be eligible to receive 20 weeks of benefits. The number would drop to eight weeks if the state's unemployment rate reaches 3.5% or lower.

If implemented, Missourians would currently be eligible for nine weeks of benefits as the state's unemployment rate sits at 3.6%.