Missouri lawmakers fight for employers right not to give unemployment benefits.
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Missouri lawmakers fight for employers right not to give unemployment benefits.

Date: April 7, 2014
By: John Zupon
State Capitol Bureau
Links: SB 510

Intro: 
Supporters of a new bill tell stories of employee's being fired for elderly abuse and then receiving unemployment benefits.
RunTime:  0:39
OutCue:  SOC

Wrap: Some supporters tell the House Workforce Committee unemployment benefits have been taken advantage of in the past.

LeadingAge Missouri is an association that represents senior service providers across the state, and CEO Denise Clemonds says this is happening in nursing homes.

Actuality:  CLEMONDS.WAV
Run Time:  00:13
Description: Leaving a resident soaked in his own urine is never acceptable, that this employee knew and understood and was capable of taking care of this resident but chose not to. This particular employee received unemployment once they were fired.

Republican Senator Will Kraus from Jackson County presented his bill to a House committee which took no action on the measure.

Reporting from the state Capitol, I'm John Zupon.

Intro: 
A union official thinks that people should not be fired or denied unemployment benefits for events outside of work. 
RunTime:  0:43
OutCue:  SOC

Wrap: Although unemployment benefits have been taken advantage of in the past, some opponents of a bill spoke out to the House Workforce Committee that employee's fired for events outside of work should still receive benefits.

Richard Craighead represents United Steelworker's District 11 testified against the bill in a hearing.

Actuality:  CRAIGHEA.WAV
Run Time:  00:09
Description: We don’t want this going into the personal lives of employees and being fired or denied unemployment for something that happened outside.

Last session Governor Jay Nixon vetoed a similar bill because the language was not clear enough, and Republican Senator Will Kraus from Jackson County who is the sponsor thinks he has made the necessary changes.

Reporting from the state Capitol, I'm John Zupon.