Carcieri signs law to help clear backlog of jobless claims

PROVIDENCE—Gov. Don Carcieri on Wednesday signed a bill allowing retired state workers to process a backlog of unemployment claims in a state where 10 percent of residents are jobless.

House lawmakers approved the bill unanimously Tuesday afternoon. The Senate had already passed it.

State law generally prohibits retired workers from both collecting their state pensions and working for the state.

But lawmakers made a limited exception for the state Department of Labor and Training. A DLT spokeswoman said recent retirees could reduce the backlog of unemployment claims more quickly, getting money to the jobless faster.

The department received 36,000 claims for unemployment benefits in December, more than double what they received in the same time last year.