The stimulus measure includes a $7 billion fund to reward states that adopt changes in unemployment benefits. Among actions required to qualify, states would have to provide benefits to people who quit a job for a “compelling family reason” such as caring for a sick or disabled member of their immediate family, or because of domestic violence. Workers could collect benefits only when they started looking for a new job.
“We’re telling single mothers who have to quit their job to care for their child, or women in an abusive relationship who have to quit to get away, you can draw unemployment insurance checks when you are ready to go back to work,” McDermott, a Washington Democrat, said in an interview. “Most states say you can only draw a check if you are fired. We’re giving states incentives to move beyond that.”