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Read. Follow. Verify.Missouri House Bill 1849 links maximum unemployment benefit duration to the state jobless rate
Last action · January 8, 2026: Referred: Government Efficiency(H)Sponsor: John Hewkin
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What This Bill Would Do
Missouri House Bill 1849 modifies the duration of unemployment benefits, scaling the maximum number of payable weeks from 8 to 20 weeks based on the statewide unemployment rate beginning January 1, 2027.
Unemployed workers will see their maximum potential weeks of financial assistance scale directly up or down with statewide economic conditions, ranging from 8 weeks during periods of low unemployment to 20 weeks during high-unemployment periods.
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.
insured workers
Their maximum duration of unemployment compensation is tied directly to the fluctuating statewide unemployment rate.
unemployment compensation applicants
Must navigate updated partial benefit calculations and wage credit limits when filing claims.
Key Facts
- The maximum duration of unemployment benefits is capped between 8 and 20 weeks depending on the Missouri unemployment rate.
- Workers are eligible for 20 weeks of benefits if the unemployment rate is higher than 9 percent, scaling down to 8 weeks if the rate is at or below 3.5 percent.
- The new benefit duration schedule becomes effective on January 1, 2027.
- The statewide unemployment rate used for the calculation is determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on the date the claimant initially files a claim.
Show all 7 facts
- Termination pay and severance pay are excluded from being considered wages when calculating partial unemployment benefits.
- The total amount of benefits payable during any benefit year cannot exceed 20 times the weekly benefit amount or 33 and one-third percent of wage credits, whichever is lesser.
- The division is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations subject to chapter 536, with a nonseverability clause tied to rulemaking powers after August 28, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many weeks of unemployment benefits can I receive under the new bill?
When do these new unemployment duration rules take effect?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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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- Jan 8, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred: Government Efficiency(H)
- Jan 8, 2026HouseFloorRead Second Time (H)
- Jan 7, 2026HouseIntroducedRead First Time (H)
- Dec 1, 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.
Sliding Scale Benefit Duration
The bill replaces a fixed or seasonally averaged lookback structure with a direct sliding scale ranging from 8 to 20 weeks keyed to the current statewide unemployment rate.
Connected Entities
Sources
house.mo.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance80How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy65Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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