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Jobless Benefit Cuts Weighed by Missouri High Court - Again

Missouri Supreme Court
Americasroof
/
Wikimedia Commons

  The Missouri Supreme Court is wrestling with whether to invalidate a law cutting jobless benefits because of the way it was enacted.

In an unusual move, the Supreme Court on Tuesday held a second round of arguments in a case that it first heard in January.

The Missouri law cuts the maximum duration of unemployment benefits from 20 weeks to 13, which is the second shortest period nationally behind Florida's 12 weeks.

More than 2,700 people already have lost benefits since the shortened time period began expiring in April.

At issue before the court is whether the Senate violated the state constitution by waiting until September to override Gov. Jay Nixon's veto of the bill, instead of voting before the regular session ended last May.

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