Assistance expansion: House OKs jobless benefits for part-timers.

Any laid-off part-time worker seeking part-time work will be able to collect unemployment benefits, if a bill passed by the New Hampshire House April 16 is signed into law by Governor Lynch.

The House passed Senate Bill 502, 219-113, despite objections that the measure would further strain the unemployment trust fund during an economic downturn, making it more likely that unemployment taxes for businesses will increase.

This is the third time the requirements for unemployment benefits for those seeking part-time work have been loosened by the Legislature.

Several years ago, those who were limited by responsibilities for caring for a child under 16 could receive benefits. Last session, those who needed to care for a parent were included. Under SB 502, anyone already working part time will be able to collect benefits, even if they turn down full-time work.

Supporters of the measure said that many companies now rely on part-time workers, and businesses must pay unemployment taxes on them, so it is simply not fair that they should not be able to take advantage of those benefits. They also emphasized that the unemployment trust fund is relatively healthy, and the cost--estimated at $1.6 million--is relatively low as part of a fund that is roughly $225 million.

Opponents, however, questioned the health of the trust fund during an economic downtown, and the cost estimate of the measure, which was once as high as $7 million.

They argued that this could indeed result in additional taxes for businesses struggling to keep afloat. They also noted that any extra cost would have a direct effect on local and state government that pay unemployment benefits directly, not through a payroll tax, and that increased cost will be borne by property taxes, affecting both businesses and residents.