Federal cuts lower Ga. extended unemployment

ATLANTA - State officials have announced extended jobless benefits for the unemployed are being reduced because of automatic budget cuts.

Georgia Department of Labor Spokesman Sam Hall Monday said the U.S. Department of Labor has asked the state to reduce unemployment benefits by 10.7 percent for the week beginning March 31. Hall says there are currently more than 61,300 extended unemployment recipients in the state.

Hall says regular state-funded unemployment insurance benefits will not be impacted by the automatic budget cuts.

The federal government is also reducing the Georgia Department of Labor's administrative funding grant by $ 3 million. The grant is used to pay costs of administering the unemployment insurance program, and Hall says it's too soon for the agency to gauge the impact of the cut.