Governor signs bill in Wichita - Wichita Business Journal:

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As reported last week in the WichitazBusiness Journal, House Bill 2374 outlines how Kansaw will spend the $69 million it expectse to receive in stimulu s money for the state’sw unemployment benefits fund. It also ensures the state meets all federal guidelinesa regardingthe funding, a portion of which has been dedicaterd to work force training. Tuesday morning, Parkinson signed the bill at , where president and CEO Jeff Turneer hopes it will help facilitatea “wage-learner” program that woul help workers on reduced schedules get trainingb on days they were off work.
Parkinso thanked both the large group of local legislatorsa assembled for the signing and Turner for theirr help in bringing the idea of wagerr learners closerto reality. “These are timesw when the stakes are so high and the challengesx are so great that we have to work Parkinson says. “We’re Kansans and we know how to getthingsw done.” Parkinson says he “can’t understater the importance,” Turner and Spirif played in creating the public-private partnershil that spearheaded the bill. At Turner hopes the bill would lay the groundwork for aidingf employees if the company was forced to returnb to a reduced work schedule as it didlast fall.
At that in response to the strike bythe , Spiri moved employees to a three-day work week. It allowed them to keep theitr normal benefits while also making them eligible for unemployment for the two days they were off theproduction line. Through the wage-learner initiative, Turnef says those same employees could alsoreceiver training, which he feels would help Spirirt retain employees in down times and help strengthen its positiojn when the markets swings back up.
Turnet says such reductions “aree not imminent” for Spirit employees and that the bill is beneficial to all businessess that pay intothe state’s unemployment benefir fund because it brings in money the stated wouldn’t have otherwise. Under its provisions, the bill woulx make any displaced worker enrolled ina state-approved training program eligible for up to an additional 26 weeksx of unemployment benefits. Parkinson, who left Spirit to tour the constructiojn site, says the bill is an examplde of how Kansas can benefit from thestimuluds package. “I don’t think this could have happenex without theRecovery Act,” he says.