Some said that they had to borrow money from their children to put gasoline in their car. Some pointed fingers at state officials for not recognizing the problem that led to the need for a new law that would allow for the benefits to continue.
“The only thing I’m going to ask you today is to have compassion,” said Faye Wynn of Bertie County, who is also trying to recover from the tornadoes that hit North Carolina on April 16.
“I lost my pride a long time ago,” said Ken Williams of Wilson. He said that he needed to go see his daughter Tuesday night. “She had to give me gas money to get there,” he said.
Unemployment benefits for about 37,000 long-term jobless North Carolinian's ran out on the same day the tornadoes struck North Carolina. The Republican majority in the General Assembly put together legislation that would have allowed for 20 more weeks of such benefits, funded entirely by federal tax dollars.
However, the bill was tied to a budget provision that GOP leaders said they wanted in place should lawmakers and Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue not reach an agreement on a spending plan for the state.
Perdue, saying the budget provision was unacceptable, vetoed the bill.
The hearing was quickly called and sponsored by the Senate Democratic caucus. In addition to Democratic senators, some Republican and Democratic House members attended, including GOP House Speaker Thom Tillis, R-Mecklenburg.
Tillis said that he understood that the expiration of benefits was a serious matter.
He said that compassion needs to be extended to everybody who is at risk of uncertainty related to the budget.
Tillis said state employees could face uncertainty come July 1, the first day of the new budget year, if the state’s fiscal house isn’t in order by then.
“We do want to find a way to get those dollars here,” Tillis said during an impromptu press conference after the hearing broke up. “We understand the relief is needed. It’s needed now more than ever.”
He said a resolution would require the governor to take a step in their direction.
Tillis said the short notice about the jobless benefits expiring showed a lack of leadership. He said the governor needs to address how to take the politics out of balancing the budget and give certainty to state employees who could be unemployed if a new budget isn’t in place by July 1.
“The governor can do that with the stroke of a pen and by reaching to us and figuring out what we need to do to reach a compromise,” Tillis said.
David Clegg, deputy chairman and chief operating officer of the Employment Security Commission, said that the state needed to change a calculating method in order for the 37,000 people to be allowed to get the continued benefits.
He said the average benefit for the workers was $300 a week, bringing in about $10 million a week statewide.
Joyce Fowler of Garner said she went back to school after being laid off in 2009. She said she needs the extended benefits in order to continue going to school.
Greg Smith of Castalia said that he’s finally able to get more job interviews.
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