Home >
News
House Passes Extension of Unemployment Benefits Bipartisan bill would provide seven weeks of relief nationwide, additional benefits for states with high unemployment
October 3, 2008
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House of Representatives today voted in support of legislation to
extend unemployment benefits to millions of workers who have lost their jobs
through no fault of their own and cannot find new work. The bill, H.R. 6867, was introduced in
September by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles B. Rangel (D-NY) and
Income Security and Family Support Subcommittee Chairman Jim McDermott
(D-WA). Chairman McDermott’s
subcommittee has jurisdiction over unemployment insurance and Chairman Rangel
has made helping the American people weather the current economic downturn a
top priority of the Ways and Means Committee.
H.R. 6867 now moves to the U.S. Senate for consideration.
“Our economy has shed jobs every single
month of this year,” said
Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles B. Rangel. “People are hurting
with no end in sight. It is our
responsibility as a Congress to stand up and help them weather these tough
economic times. Extending unemployment
benefits now will mean nearly a million families can keep food on their tables,
roofs over their heads and some peace of mind while they continue searching for
a job this fall. I urge my colleagues in
the Senate to do the right thing and pass this bill now.”
“Now
more than ever, we have to demonstrate that Congress can respond to the needs
of Main Street, and extending unemployment benefits is a major step toward
restoring the wavering trust of the American people in their government and the
House has done just that by passing this legislation,” Rep. Jim McDermott
said.
In brief, H.R. 6867:
·
Would
provide seven additional weeks of extended benefits for those who have
exhausted their UI benefits across the country.
·
Would
provide 13 more weeks of unemployment benefits for workers in states with high
unemployment, define as 6% or higher.
·
Is
paid for through the existing federal unemployment trust fund.
·
Is
estimated to distribute about $6 billion in benefits.
·
Without
this legislation, nearly 800,000 workers are expected to run out of their
current extended benefits in October.
This number will grow to 1.1 million by the end of calendar year 2008.
Please click
here to view the text of H.R. 6867.
|