Republican lawmakers in North Carolina have introduced a bill requiring 5 hours a week of community service for anyone receiving more than 8 weeks of unemployment benefits and 10 hours a week of community service for anyone receiving unemployment benefits for more than a year.

An attorney quoted in the article points out that the North Carolina unemployment insurance program is primarily funded by the federal government and it may not be up to state legislators to create new requirements for aid eligibility.

On the one hand, it's wrong to assume people receiving unemployment aren't busy. They are - looking for jobs! On the other hand, 5 hours a week is not a huge time requirement. And what about the hours of state employee labor that will be required to implement community service compliance tracking? Is it even worth it?

What do you think?