Associated Press - June 21, 2009 9:34 PM ET
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - An attempt to overturn Gov. Bobby Jindal's decision to reject $98 million in unemployment federal stimulus money has failed.
The Louisiana Senate on Sunday night sent the bill to a hostile committee, which promptly killed it.
The proposal by Baton Rouge Democratic Rep. Avon Honey would expand unemployment benefits, making Louisiana eligible to accept the stimulus money to pay for it.
Supporters say the dollars are needed to help the growing number of unemployed workers in Louisiana.
Opponents argue once the stimulus dollars run out, the expanded benefits would cost businesses more in unemployment taxes and cripple their ability to weather the recession.
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