Salon.com > unemployment benefits http://www.salon.com Fri, 24 May 2013 17:47:33 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Arkansas pushes forward with bill to drug test unemployed http://www.salon.com/2013/04/09/arkansas_pushes_forward_with_bill_to_drug_test_unemployed/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/09/arkansas_pushes_forward_with_bill_to_drug_test_unemployed/#comments Tue, 09 Apr 2013 12:43:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13265667 Salon reported last year that GOP state lawmakers around the country were pushing ALEC-designed legislation that would force the unemployed to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits. According to Reuters Tuesday, such a measure is gaining ground in Arkansas. The Republican-led Arkansas state Senate approved a measure on Monday that would require random drug testing of Arkansas residents who receive state unemployment benefits. Arkansas' governor, Democrat Mike Beebe has expressed concerns about the federal legality of such a law. A similar proposal currently in a proposal under consideration in Texas' state's legislature (and supported by Gov. Rick Perry) would require drug tests for both unemployment and welfare recipients. In previous years, attempts to introduce drug tests for welfare recipients have been deemed violations of the Fourth Amendment. Reuters reported on the Arkansas bill:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/09/arkansas_pushes_forward_with_bill_to_drug_test_unemployed/feed/ 31 How budget cuts could affect you http://www.salon.com/2013/03/03/how_budget_cuts_could_affect_you_6/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/03/how_budget_cuts_could_affect_you_6/#comments Sun, 03 Mar 2013 14:01:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13217451 Automatic spending cuts that took effect Friday are expected to touch a vast range of government services. Some examples:

DEFENSE

One of the Navy's premier warships, the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, sits pier-side in Norfolk, Va., its deployment to the Persian Gulf delayed. The carrier and its 5,000-person crew were to leave Feb. 8, along with the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg. The Navy also began plans to gradually shut down four of its air wings - which include 50 to 60 aircraft each and are assigned to the carriers - and delay and cancel the deployments of several other ships.

Furlough notices will begin going out later this month to about 800,000 defense department civilians, who will lose a day's pay each week for more than five months. The Army will let go more than 3,000 temporary and contract employees and beginning in April, it will cancel maintenance at depots which will force 5,000 more layoffs. The Air Force Thunderbirds and the Navy's Blue Angels will cancel air show appearances.

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