Former Idaho Legislator Tries to Claim Unemployment

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A former Idaho senator has been rebuffed in her bid to win a $155 weekly unemployment check. Idaho rejected Nicole LeFavour's application for 26 weeks of benefits that she sought after leaving the Legislature in 2012.

The Idaho Statesman reports elected officials aren't eligible for unemployment benefits. After she applied belatedly for assistance earlier this month, Senate President Pro Tem Brent Hill of Rexburg objected. As the top senator, Hill leads LeFavour's former employer, and was worried about the precedent such payments would set.

LeFavour, the state's first openly gay lawmaker who ran unsuccessfully for Congress against Republican Mike Simpson last November, says she's fallen on tough times and needed cash to help her through a tight spot. She says friends urged her to at least try for benefits.