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Read. Follow. Verify.Missouri House Bill 2494 Extends Maximum Duration of Unemployment Benefits
Last action · May 15, 2026: Referred: Emerging Issues(H)Sponsors: Emily Weber and 1 other
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What This Bill Would Do
Missouri House Bill 2494 extends the maximum total amount of unemployment benefits payable to any insured worker during a benefit year to twenty-six times the weekly benefit amount or thirty-three and one-third percent of , whichever is lesser. The measure modifies wage calculations and updates citations for militia training pay excluded from wage determinations. These provisions apply to unemployed workers filing claims within the state.
Unemployed workers may receive benefits for up to twenty-six weeks instead of previous limits tied directly to the statewide average unemployment rate matrix, potentially extending financial support duration during job searches.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
unemployed workers
Uninsured workers filing for unemployment compensation are subject to the revised maximum benefit duration cap and updated wage calculation rules.
employing units
Employers are impacted by rules determining whether wages count as wage credits based on when the employing unit became an employer.
Key Facts
- The maximum total amount of benefits payable to any insured worker during any benefit year shall not exceed twenty-six times his or her weekly benefit amount, or thirty-three and one-third percent of his or her wage credits, whichever is the lesser.
- Pay received by an eligible insured worker who is a member of the organized militia for training or duty authorized by 32 U.S.C. Section 502(a)(1) shall not be considered wages.
- If a claimant receives termination pay or severance pay, the claimant may choose to have such payment included in the calendar quarter in which it was paid or prorated equally among the quarters comprising the base period.
- The division shall compute wage credits for each individual by crediting him or her with wages paid for insured work during each quarter of his or her base period or twenty-six times his or her weekly benefit amount, whichever is the lesser.
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- In the event that benefits are due a deceased person and no petition for probate or estate administration has been filed within thirty days, the division may provide for payment to persons entitled thereto.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is severance or termination pay handled when calculating base periods?
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
4 actions- May 15, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred: Emerging Issues(H)
- Jan 8, 2026HouseFloorRead Second Time (H)
- Jan 7, 2026HouseIntroducedRead First Time (H)
- Dec 17, 2025HouseIntroducedPrefiled (H)
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Restructuring of Unemployment Benefit Duration
The bill replaces the previous sliding scale tied directly to statewide average unemployment rates with a fixed maximum benefit multiplier.
Connected Entities
Sources
house.mo.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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