Ohio House Passes Legislation to Help the Unemployed Get Back to Work

State Representative Tim Derickson (R-Hanover Twp.) and Tim Brown (R-Bowling Green) today applauded the Ohio House of Representatives’ passage of House Bill 2, which requires all applicants for unemployment insurance to register with OhioMeansJobs.com prior to applying for benefits.

The legislation also requires applicants to make direct contact with their local One-Stop (future Ohio Means Jobs office) by the eighth week of unemployment benefits. These requirements aim to ensure that unemployment insurance applicants and recipients are maximizing their job search opportunities and will help connect the patchwork of different services that exist for individuals on unemployment insurance.

“House Bill 2 is an important step to ensure that those individuals on unemployment insurance are also actively seeking a job and meeting with workforce development officials,” said Rep. Derickson. “I believe that it will strengthen our workforce development efforts, giving out-of-work Ohioans greater opportunities to obtain employment and get back on their feet.”

“It is our intent to encourage unemployed Ohioans to use the workforce development resources that are available to them, which will help them get back to work sooner,” said Rep. Brown. “House Bill 2 will ensure that those who file for unemployment benefits are taking all the necessary steps to find a job and give them the tools to make their search more effective.”

In 2011, OhioMeansJobs.com saw more than 31.5 million total job searches from more than 2.2 million unique visitors. In 2012, this number increased to 54.6 million searches from more than 2.7 million unique visitors. Reps. Derickson and Brown hope that by linking this valuable resource with unemployment insurance, more unemployed Ohioans will successfully find jobs and utilize the employment services that are available to them.

House Bill 2 passed with strong bipartisan support and will now be sent to the Ohio Senate.