Unemployment Benefits Extended in NC

An executive order was issued on Wednesday by North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue that will extend long-term unemployment benefits to 25,000 jobless workers in the state. The federal government pushed back the deadline for extended unemployment benefits to the end of February, but required states to make the change to their systems of calculations and deadlines as well to be eligible to get the federal funds. Governor Perdue could have called a special session of the General Assembly to make this change, but chose to go the quicker route and issue an executive order. The extension provides much needed benefits to unemployed workers. More coverage here.