Anticipating possible additional federal government shutdowns, Oregon’s Senate president has prepared a bill that will allow federal employees who are working but not being paid to receive unemployment benefits.
Anticipating possible additional federal government shutdowns, Oregon’s Senate president has prepared a bill that will allow federal employees who are working but not being paid to receive unemployment benefits, an aide said Monday.
Lisa Taylor, spokeswoman for Senate President Peter Courtney, said the bill that would alter state statutes is expected to get its first reading in the Senate Tuesday.
House Speaker Tina Courtney, D-Portland, told reporters she hopes the bill gets bipartisan support, and that it passes before the agreement by President Donald Trump to end the shutdown expires on Feb. 15.
«We’re attempting to put things in place in case there is another shutdown,» Kotek said.
Another problem looms if the shutdown resumes, possibly affecting hundreds of thousands of Oregonians.
Some 600,000 receive federal food stamps, known as SNAP benefits, at a cost of $80 million per month, and they would be at risk for March going forward, Kotek said.
