Kansas governor signs bill overhauling unemployment program

? Kansas is setting a new cap on benefits for unemployed workers and overhauling the collection of taxes from businesses to finance the aid.

Republican Gov. Sam Brownback signed a bill making the changes during a Statehouse ceremony Monday. Lawmakers approved the measure late last month, and the new law will take effect July 1.

The maximum weekly benefit for workers will be 55 percent of the state’s average wage. The cap was 60 percent, but the new law says the new cap couldn’t drop below the current figure of $474.

The new law also is designed to make the taxes paid by businesses more predictable by setting fixed rates. The state previously set rates annually based on what it thought was needed to finance benefits.