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Ohio Senate President Says Unemployment Issues Are 'Catastrophic' Failure

State Sen. Matt Huffman was elected president of the Ohio Senate for the next session.
Ohio Senate
State Sen. Matt Huffman was elected president of the Ohio Senate for the next session.

The top leader of the Ohio Senate says the issues with the state's unemployment compensation system represent a catastrophic government failure.

Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima) says Ohio's unemployment compensation fund has been plagued by insolvency, technical issues and long wait times.

"This catastrophic government failure is the result of many years of not addressing how the system works," says Huffman.

The system is also dealing with a large influx in what state labor officials think are fraudulent claims.

A new commission of lawmakers is studying possible updates to the system, but is not considering whether it's appropriately funded, which some critics say has long been an issue.

Huffman says the Senate's insurance committee also plans to take a closer look at the unemployment system.

Bipartisan attempts to make the unemployment fund solvent by cutting benefits and increasing employer fees have fallen short for several years in the Ohio legislature.

Andy Chow is a general assignment state government reporter who focuses on environmental, energy, agriculture, and education-related issues. He started his journalism career as an associate producer with ABC 6/FOX 28 in Columbus before becoming a producer with WBNS 10TV.
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