WHEELER CARRIES SENATE BILL 140 TO PASSAGE
Bill would allow the Secretary of the Education and Labor Cabinet to issue a waiver to recipients of overpayments of unemployment insurance
FRANKFORT, KY (Feb. 22, 2024) – The following is a statement from Sen. Phillip Wheeler, R-Pikeville, following the passage of Senate Bill 140.
“The repayment notices still being received by hundreds of Kentuckians across the Commonwealth have shown the mismanagement of the Unemployment Office by the Beshear Administration during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“Senate Bill 140 provides a pathway to amnesty for those who innocently drew unemployment benefits. Recipients of repayment notices will have a year to request a new hearing to present their case before a hearing officer. If the hearing officer determines that the benefits were drawn without fraudulent intent by the recipient, the overpayment shall be waived.”
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Senator Phillip Wheeler, R-Pikeville, represents Kentucky’s 31st Senate District, including Elliott, Johnson, Lawrence, Martin, and Pike Counties. Wheeler is vice chair of the Senate Economic Development, Tourism, and Labor, and the Senate Judiciary committees. He is also Capital Planning Advisory Board co-chair. Additionally, Wheeler serves as a member of the Senate Transportation, Natural Resources and Energy and State and Local Government committees.
