PHOENIX — Arizona legislators have completed action on bills to use federal money to provide laid-off Arizonans with at least 13 more weeks of eligibility for unemployment benefits and put Arizona back in line to receive $1.6 billion of stimulus cash.
The Senate approved the bills Wednesday, and House approvals Thursday send them to Gov. Jan Brewer.
The unemployment bill would use federal stimulus money to raise Arizona’s total benefits to 72 weeks. Seven more weeks could be added if Arizona’s unemployment rate exceeds 8 percent.
The other bill reverses a procedural change that the state made last year for the state’s health care program for the poor. That reversal allow Arizona to qualify for additional Medicaid funding considered vital to keep the state budget in the black.