The new bill that would provide additional unemployment benefits to 99ers -- those who have exhausted all available benefits -- now has 60 cosponsors, an unemployment advocate announced today.
The bill, H.R. 589 -- Emergency Unemployment Compensation Expansion Act of 2011 -
would provide 14 additional weeks of benefits retroactively to all those who exhausted benefits.
Representative Barbara Lee (D - CA) reintroduced the bill in Congress on Wednesday; it has been referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means. When introduced, it had 47 sponsors, all of them Democrats. Because the House now has a Republican majority, some Republican support is needed for it to pass.
"All Americans are being asked to stand up and contact their representative in both the House and the Senate to make sure that they are aware that we support this legislation and want it passed into law as quickly as possible," said Scott Clark, who has for the moment taken over leadership of the advocacy group formed by Michael Koliss.
Gregg Rosen of the American 99ers' Union joined Lee at a press conference on Wednesday when she announced the reintroduction of the bill. The press conference can be viewed here.
Another participant at the press conference was Gerry DePietro , a 99er who has become an advocate for the unemployed. Commenting on her new-found activism, she said, "I realized there were people out there so much worse off than me and since I still had Internet access, I was going to 'climb on board' as they say." DePietro is scheduled to appear on "The Ed Show" with Ed Schultz on MSNBC this coming Monday night at 10:00 p.m. EST.
The names of the bill's cosponsors can be seen on the website Open Congress.
Like DePietro, many of the long-term unemployed are over the age of fifty. The following is part of an e-mail received from reader Carmine:
"I have never in my life collected unemployment. But now that I have exhausted my 99 weeks it needs to be extended. I am not lazy, I want to work and am very capable of working but this economy has been really tough to land a job and my age is not helping the situation. There are many people that are age 55-60 that have been laid off from their long time job and now it is impossible to find another one due to their age. Congress must pass the tier 5 extension to help this age group from falling into the abyss!!"
NOTE TO UNEMPLOYED READERS: PLEASE CONTINUE TO SEND STORIES OF YOUR JOB SEARCH TO: NaomiCohn@gmail.com. Thank you.
ALSO, TO REMAIN UPDATED ON THE LATEST UNEMPLOYMENT DEVELOPMENTS, CLICK ON THE "SUBSCRIBE" BUTTON ABOVE.
Comments
This is great, but how many sponsors or votes does it take to pass the house. Then it goes to the senate, right.
i think around 218 votes need to be pass threw the house am not sure but thats what i heard
escobar isn't correct on his number.....i
I looked this up: "Both Houses need over 50% of either house to pass a bill on to the President. For an ordinary bill to pass each chamber or house of the US congress, it needs a simple majority of yea votes which would be 50% + 1 vote. In the US House of Representatives, ordinarily there are a total of 435 seated Representatives. 50% of 435 is 217.5. As there are no half votes, the fewest yea votes required for an ordinary bill to pass the House would normally be 218. In the US Senate, ordinarily there are a total of 100 seated Senators. 50% of 100 is 50. A simple majority is 50% + 1, thus the fewest yea votes required for an ordinary bill to pass the US Senate is 51."
Notice not one republician is stepping up to the plate to help the american people. Is all ofthis about showing who is in charge of Senate? They all should be ousted and new people put in place.There is nothing American about not helping the 99ers.
Considering that the Tea Party has been forcing the Republicans to retreat from some of their priorities, don't look for this to pass, even if it's paid for, because the Tea Party forced House Republicans and even Boener to commit to 100 billion in Tax Cuts instead of the paltry 32 billion that they offered. Boener and the Republicans were forced to retreat when the passage of the Patriot Act failed to get passed, just recently.
I think we've seen the end of these unemployment extensions and unless the stock market gets hit and/or employers start mass cutting jobs again, we will not see any additional unemployment extensions.
Far as the 99ers go, it's a non starter because while there's sympathy among Democrats for the 99ers, both sides have said that they don't support extending it past 99 weeks.
What I think is going to happen is that we're going to see happen here in the United States what's been happening in Egypt. Congress just will not help out its own people who don't have jobs, aren't getting unemployment to help live on while Congress continues to ignore what they promised Americans when they were elected, the creation of more jobs.
I relunctantly agree with you. I have worked since I was 15 1/2; have a college degree, and never gone through being unemployed because I had a good education and years of experience. Now, those years of experience are counted against me. Those of us around 60 years of age are too young to retire, and too old to be hired. What happened to the laws that were supposed to protect us? I worked for a large law firm that let go of just about everyone over the age of 50. You were most likely to get "laid off" if you had worked for them over 10 years (some laid off employees had been with the same firm for 20 to 32 years) than if you had only worked there 6 months. Where is the fairness?
Carol, sue the hell out of them.
So far? Neither Democrats nor Republicans have created one single job or passed a bill that would help incentivize employers to create jobs. Congress will not make it to 2012, much less to the end of the year, if they don't pass comprehensive unemployment reform and extend those benefits to everyone who needs them. Since jobs aren't being created, they need unemployment extensions past 99 weeks, otherwise our economy is going to get even worse ...
Keep it real, you are such an ass. You do not even understand what it is like to have all you cared about taken from you because the government decided that an entire group of people should be homeless and yet somehow contribute to their wealth. I only hope that you do not fall into this situation because you will never be able to handle the problems like all the 99ers are doing right now.
Unfortunately, young people and retired see 99ers as being unwilling to work or see them negatively. We are usually highly trained and skilled at the work we did, and work in other fields or areas is taken by those who have skills and experience there. Why would employers hire me as a cashier when there are plenty of people with experience as cashiers looking for work? 99ers want meaningful productive work Most have lost their home by now and feelings of self-worth. We have no health insurance or access to good medical care. The health care that is available is like from some 3rd world country. WE WANT WORK! We did nothing wrong that put us in this position.
The good of the few do not out-weigh the good of the many. Another 14 weeks will do nothing, but throw our country into further debt. I work in the administrative labor field and (99%) of you dont have a clue. I would assume after almost 2 years of UI that you would have gained the common knowledge to move to a part of the country where the unemployment isnt bad and you can find a job.
Keep it real, if you are reading these posts then I should think you are on the computer all day as well. So you are just as lazy as you think we are.
"Keep it Real" is a complete jerk. Only has negative comments for the 99ers. He/she needs to get to hell off of this website and get a life. Go out into the streets and give your opinions to a 99er. You will get your ass kicked.
@caughtinbetween.
Why don't YOU go out in the streets and tell people YOUR opinion that you want more free money? I'll bet you would be the one getting YOUR ass kicked.
That's why 99ers won't go out and protest publicly.
"Keep it real"...I would suggest you proof read your comments prior to posting, you are perfectly ignorant, in every way.
I hope they pass it, I know people are in need, and for the selfish Americans, I hope you do burn in hell, and your free hand out is what's called, not hiring? Dummies lol laterz for my two cents
I know I am an ass. Just ignore me.
This bill will be passed. It's only a matter of a few weeks. Everyone keep calling your reps in D.C. and you are doing what you can. Thanks for all your efforts 99ers!!
Make calls to Congress on Monday! Call all day, every day.
I can be lazy i am not the one looking for a hand out. You people are so full of it
Again, ignore me. I am an ass of the higest order.
lazy u a hole. worked 35 years and i get 40 weeks benefit. now no jobs and i apply all over. u most be a rich dick
"Keep it real" you are looking for a handout, and it's for attention! I am so sorry for you that you have nothing better to do than come on to this blog and write your illiterate ratings. You need to go back to trade school and you won't have to be so bitter about working at Burger King.
Thank you Rep. Barbara Lee for your efforts. Everyone - TRY TO CALL HER OFFICE OR WRITE HER AN E-MAIL. Keep the momentum going.
i just know that it was not my choice to lose my job. Therefore, I was entitled to Unemployment. It ran out - and, might I add, I was moved into tiers before tiers were even discussed! Congress is going to pass the extension. It's just a matter of when. I think that it will be passed by Spring. The fact that the proposed 14 weeks will be added to Tier 1 is evident that a lot of work has gone into thinking out the extension and how to handle it and finance it.
You are not keeping it real.You looking for someone to support your stupidity. Get off your soapbox of foolishness and go help people find employment. If you can not do that shut the fluck up and give me my check. How can you call someone lazy when you have not did jack spit to contribute to their well-being.Go sit your pass down before that old girl call Karma comes knocking at your door and exposes your good for nothing ass.AND YOU END UP UNEMPLOYED. You sound like a tea bagger, Just when we think there are not enough tongues up the asses of the GOP.Snakelike serpents like you slithers from under rocks. But , my word don't mean spit. IM JUST SAYING. I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Keep it real - works at Mcdonalds and plays on the computer during burger break.
Actually, I work at Burger King. Ignore me.
At least "keep it real" works. That's more than can be said of you.
99ers need help or there will be a riot guaranteed!! pass the damn bill
Passing that Bill would be the dumbest thing in the world. Realize that 14 weeks is just wasting money and once thats done it will literally be over for UI. I would be willing to bet that figures after the extra 14 weeks would show that 99% still havent found a job. Again the good of the few do not out-wight the good of the many...especially the debt our children will be paying for.
If you would have safe up for a raining day instead of sending the free money on god no what. you would need the government to get you nothing. You so call 99ers need to stop being negitive and get out and find o job. This bill will not happen.
Hey, keep it real, do you have any idea what has happened to the economy buddy? You think a tenth of the U.S. population just up and got fired? No you idiot...the economy crashed, and because of the crash, millions of people lost their jobs, so now, those jobs DON'T EXIST...So, now you have all these people that were laid off due to downsizing and restructuring of business's across the United States, and now the hard working people that have probably worked many times harder than you ever have, are out of a job. Now you have 2x and 3x the people apply for less jobs. You DO realize that most people on unemployment are collecting only half of what they made, so now you have someone getting only 500, and that 500 is taxed, so they are only taking in 350, and out of that 350 they have to pay for medical insurance for their families, so they are now only taking in 200 per week, and that MIGHT pay for a utility bill and the groceries, so the mortgage, and car insurance, and everything else goes uhpaid. So while you sit there and make snide remarks about the unemployed, you should first try to crawl out from under that rock you live at, and open your eyes. 99ers are NOT sitting here waiting for the next payday. You just better hope that it doesn't happen to you, so then YOU can collect only half of the $200 you make a week making my lunch. Yes, I WILL have fries with that.
I am an ass of the higest order and yes, I am on my break at Burger King. Hahahahhhaaaaa
I am tryin to edge you guys on so you will get sick and tired of being sick and tired and do somethin! Make your calls - get busy and git after the people in Washington.
Come on you 99ers! Get out there and don't give up! Make those calls to Washington and don't give up and don't listen to silly billys like me and keep it real. You get real and keep up the fight and the hard work - YOU 99ERS HAVE ALWAYS WORKED AND THAT'S WHY YOU WERE ENTITLED TO BENEFITS TO BEGIN WITH! Just stay focused and don't give up.
This is my first post - i can't believe the bad language and grammer that "keep it real" uses. Poor slob - no wonder he works at BK cleaning toilets and mopping floors. Is it a job? Yes, but.....poor slob.
to (KEEP IT REAL) first of all learn how to spell you ignorant ass wipe, secondly you are posting like a 4 year old. do yourself a favor and go back to school so next time around you can at least sound a little intelagent. and wile your at it take a 5 gallon pail of sand and pound it up your smelly ass you bozo!
Why is "keep it real" so angry at the 99ers getting the 14 week extension? What's it to him/her? Unemployment Insurance is insurance for people that have WORKED, not for lazy people looking for a handout! He/she can't spell and uses off-color language on a bog that is and will continue to be supportive to 99ers. I can sincerely say to "keep it real" I am so sorry for you and your attitude. It makes one wonder what you real issue is.
I agree with you "Tim"! Everyone taking a look at this column and blog and keeping up with the newest on the 99er situation should call their Congressmen/women and Senators each and every day. This bill will pass. The 99ers need the extension until the job situation gets better and it will get better. Thank you Tim for your encouragement!!!
Unemployment Insurance is only "insurance" for 26 weeks, after that it is a "generous gift" from the government. Or, you're correct, you could call it a "handout".
Probably the people who are writing on this blog that are nasty and are so against the extensions are ignorant and just goofing off. Don't pay them any more attention.
I am 58 yrs old,I have worked and paid into the Unemployment Insurance since I was 16 years old.
All that and I only get 99 weeks. That is a insult to any American having to deal with losing every thing.
By the way,I saved money for my retirement but my wife developed cancer and my life savings were wiped out paying for her treatments. But then I would have cut off a foot if it would have given her just one more pain free day.
i think keep it real is a hagler with nothing else better to do than hagle real people with real important issues. do not give up hope my fellow 99er's there will always be a fool in the midst.
Agreed! Some people don't have anything better to do. Onward and upward to getting this bill passed!!
99isenough obviously isn't an American citizen that believes in the work of the government that he pretends to respect - the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Senate extended the 26 weeks of Unemployment Insurance quite a while ago. I suppose that he missed that little piece of legislation? He probably can't read - LOOK AT HIS SPELLLING !
The real fools are those who have been on UI for almost 2 years. Obviously you all complain about no jobs, so move to parts of the country that were virtually uneffected by the economic downturn. Staying in places of high unemployment rates sets yourselves up for failure. Im sure their is a whole array of things most of you have been doing wrong to begin with and havent found help. Do any of you realize the the DOL has programs for re-training and education opportunities that are all paid for with goverment funds. The same goverment that you all complain is doing nothing to help you. They are and have, but they cant baby everyone forever. Staying put in place where unemployment is over 8% is so dumb and you only have have yourself to blame. And for those of you who say you cant afford to move...think again. They have programs at DOL that offer supportive services to pay for just that.
He has been reported for abuse
Please report all individuals like 99isenough as cyber bullies, enough complaints will stop them.
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