State officials rail against Senate plan to extend unemployment benefits

State officials say a Senate proposal to restore unemployment insurance benefits to more than 2 million long-term jobless would do more harm than good, warning that some states may ignore the legislation if it’s passed into law.

The National Association of State Workforce Agencies, in a letter Wednesday to the Senate’s party leaders — Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. — said the legislation would “substantially increase the administrative burden on states” by increasing costs and causing delays in the jobless receiving benefits.