Author: James McAllister
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Unemployment insurance indexing bill fails in Arizona
The Arizona House of Representatives on June 12 voted against a bill 29-31 that would have indexed the length of unemployment insurance benefits to the state’s unemployment rate. During times when the unemployment rate was at or below 5%, unemployed workers would have been able to collect a maximum of 12 weeks of benefits under…
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Proposed legislation would eliminate ESG in TSP pensions
Congressman Chip Roy (R-Texas) on May 23 reintroduced legislation calling for the elimination of the use of ESG in the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), the pension plan for federal employees and members of the military. The private managers of the TSP are BlackRock and State Street, two of the largest passive asset managers and among…
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U.S. weekly unemployment insurance claims rise to 229,000
New applications for U.S. unemployment insurance benefits rose 4,000 for the week ending May 20 to a seasonally adjusted 229,000. The previous week’s figure was revised down by 17,000 to 225,000. The four-week moving average as of May 20 was unchanged from the previous week’s unrevised number at 231,750. The number of continuing unemployment insurance…
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States send letters and questionnaires inquiring about ESG at firms
Twenty-one state financial officers signed letters on May 15 that were sent to large asset management firms and two proxy advisory services (Glass-Lewis and Institutional Shareholder Services, who combined represent 95% of the proxy advisory business), requesting answers to questions about the use of ESG and the justification for doing so as legal fiduciaries of…
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U.S. weekly unemployment insurance claims fall to 242,000
New applications for U.S. unemployment insurance benefits fell 22,000 for the week ending May 13 to a seasonally adjusted 242,000. The previous week’s figure was unrevised at 264,000. The four-week moving average as of May 13 fell to 244,250 from an unrevised 245,250 as of the week ending May 6. The number of continuing unemployment…
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House Oversight Committee holds ESG hearing
The House Oversight Committee on May 10 held a hearing on ESG, during which Republicans and Democrats took opposite perspectives on the issue. Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) criticized ESG in his opening statement. Among other things, Chairman Comer said that he intends to hold more oversight hearings to investigate ESG policy. On the other side…
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Louisiana House passes unemployment insurance indexing bill
The Louisiana House of Representatives on May 10 passed a bill that would index the length of unemployment insurance benefits to the state’s unemployment rate. House Bill 340 would reduce the maximum number of benefit weeks to 12 when the unemployment rate is at or below 5%. The bill also proposes capping the maximum benefit…
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Oklahoma treasurer announces 13 financial institutions can’t do business with the state over ESG policies
Oklahoma State Treasurer Todd Russ (R) on May 3 issued a list of 13 financial institutions that are ineligible to do business with the state under a 2022 law because, according to Russ’s office, they engage in energy boycotts that, in its opinion, hurt the state’s economy. The listed institutions cannot manage state pension funds…
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U.S. weekly unemployment insurance claims rise to 242,000
New applications for U.S. unemployment insurance benefits rose 13,000 for the week ending April 29 to a seasonally adjusted 242,000. The previous week’s figure was revised down from 230,000 to 229,000. The four-week moving average as of April 29 rose to 239,250 from a revised 235,750 as of the week ending April 22. The number…
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Louisiana attorney general launches ESG investigation
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry (R) launched an investigation on April 25 into Climate Action 100+, which describes itself as “an investor-led initiative to ensure the world’s largest corporate greenhouse gas emitters take necessary action on climate change.” Landry’s office says the investigation seeks to determine whether some asset management companies that are part of…