NJ Senators Looking at Unemployment Appeal Backlog

A state Senate committee plans to gather information about a backlog of unemployment insurance appeals claims in New Jersey.

The Labor Committee is tackling the topic Monday in a hearing that deals with a practical problem, but can be used to score some political points.

Officials say the state is getting 10,000 unemployment claims a week and 3,000 appeals per month. It takes 20 to 24 weeks to hear appeals from people who believe they are wrongly denied unemployment insurance -- an average wait that's more than twice as long as it was in 2011.

For Democrats, the hearing could serve as a public reminder that the unemployment rate has been rising in the state despite Gov. Chris Christie's past assertions that his policies are turning around the state's economy.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)