OLYMPIA – Legislation boosting the weekly benefit for unemployed workers is headed to the governor.
The House of Representatives voted 93-2 this morning to accept minor changes made to the bill by the Senate on Thursday.
Gov. Chris Gregoire is expected to sign the measure at 3:30 p.m. Monday.
The bill would boost the minimum weekly benefit amount from $129 to $155, and all unemployed workers would receive an additional $45 a week. That makes the minimum payment $200 per week, and the maximum $586.
The temporary increases would take effect May 3 and end with claims filed on or before Jan. 3, 2010.
A record-setting 90,331 new applications for unemployment benefits were filed in December, and the state’s unemployment rate has topped 7 percent.
In Snohomish County in December, there were 27,140 jobless individuals of which 18,357 were collecting benefits.
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