The Senate today passed legislation that extends unemployment and COBRA benefits until the end of the year for most but not all unemployed. The legislation passed on a 62-36 vote. Six Republicans joined most Democrats in backing it. The legislation now goes to the House of Representatives for final approval:
The House must now take up the bill and "Rep. Sandy Levin (D-Mich.), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said it's "an open question" whether House members will force a conference to resolve differences between the Senate and House"
The bill approved today would extend until Dec. 31 expiring provisions in the law that offer as many as 99 weeks of unemployment checks, along with a 65 percent subsidy to help buy health insurance through the Cobra program.The legislation would prevent millions from exhausting their benefits, though it would not spare all. According to the National Employment Law Project, a half-million Americans may burn through all of their allowable assistance by August.
via Senate Approves $138 Billion Bill Extending Unemployment Aid - Bloomberg.com.
I will update this as the news arrives. I contacted Congresswoman Louise Slaughter's Washington D.C. office for clarification and they are going to send me updated information. Unfortunately, the main stream media is lax in providing any details about the legislation.
From what I can determine, the maximum numbers of weeks that anyone can collect benefits will be 99 weeks. Once you reach that threshold, you may be dropped from the unemployment rolls. I'm not sure how COBRA would be affected for those that have reached the 99 week unemployment limit.
Please check back often for updates.
You can also send me your questions and comments at mike@layofflist.org.
Comments
Good
Thanks for posting this information about extending more benefits to the unemployed. Providing short-term help to the jobless will be of benefit. However, we hope the public and private sectors can work together on a long-term solution to joblessness. People of all backgrounds need to set aside their differences and look to shared values -- and work together to restore prosperity to our great nation. Our blog community will be launching a long-term jobs creation effort in the coming weeks. -- Secretary of Innovation -- secretaryofinnovation DOT com -- (Not an official government agency)
Prayers answered!
I guess we owe Rep. Bunning thanks because if he hadn't of held up the temp extension, which caused such an uproar, this wouldn't have passed thru the Senate so easily.
thank the Lord for giving men in power some wisdom, now....can i get a job? (smh)
What does this mean I live in ill I get 53 weeks totle ?? I think know i will get 99 ??
I live in Michigan i will exhaust my 99 weeks in two weeks. i dont get another extension then. Does anyone know if i do
i live in mich. As of March 31st i have exhasuted all of my unemployment. will i get a extension does anyone know
My understanding is that is you have exhausted all your tiers and the EB from your state (if they have it) for a total of 99 weeks there is nothing else. The legislation does not add tiers, it just extends the time for those who have not exhausted all the tiers to be able to do so.
as of march 31st i would have exhausted 26 week and 20 weeks of eb and another 53 weeks four tiers. I am intitled to nothing else. Does anyone think the house will change this and add anorher extension . Could that be what they are working on
The Unemployment program needs to be extended (more weeks added to the end of 2010). If Congress does not address the issue by the time mid-tem elections arrive we'll have record homelessness and hunger in this country. We the people deserve better! We have the Unemployment out of control because our elected officials have abandoned ethics and values raising the corporate tax, allowing illegal immigrants to do our jobs for less and shipping the remaining jobs overseas. The Unemployment situation is NOT of Fault! Fix it for us or get out of the way so we can fix it!!!!
well i am on my last week of the 99 weeks. i called my unemploymnet office and i was told that 99 is all anyone can get. so this does not help me or anyone else in my shoes.. i look for a job everyday and i just cant find one. so i guess i should just end it all... have a nice day mr president!!So much for change... I know know the only thing that changed was the color
I'm glad this was taken care of. Those who have been out of work for under a year needed it.
Now, let's get to work helping out those who have been hit the hardest - people like Joel and myself who have been out of work for more than two years. We were among the first to be let go because we were considered "the most expendable." As such, we will probably be among the last to find a job.
No unemployment extension. This is a deadline revision. Nice to know that while we starve, the gubment be givin' those haitian devils millions! If you want to help haiti in short order, drop a bomb on it and send their evil voodoo worshiping, raping, murderous, robbing, drug using "people" to hell where they came from. Save the millions for our own.
I also am one whose benefits have ended, do we think they will pass another tier??? I cant find a job anywhere?? Even retail stores at the mall arent hiring?!?!? Please say they are working on extending benefits for long term unemployed....this deadline extension does NOTHING for us:(
im from mississippi and i hope and pray it passes i have four kids and i have bills to pay and the kids school sack money to give them
I am 68 years old and I cannot find a job anywhere. I live in Florida and will be exhausting my 99 weeks soon. I need to work. Please please just give me a little more time to collect and hopefully the economy will turn around and a job will open for me somewhere.
I am 68 yrs old and live in Florida. I am coming up on my 99 weeks very quickly. Cannot find a job and I need to work. Please give me a little more time for the economy to turn around and maybe I can find some little job somewhere.
I am in the same boat, need an unemployment extension. I hear people blaming the President for the problem. If you do a little research you would realize that it's the REPUBLICANS that are BLOCKING the bill from being passed. Sen. John McCain stated that the REPUBLICANS will not cooperate for the rest of the year. We all need to eat but at least know the FACTS of why we are not making any progress, because REPUBLICNS don't want to vote yes. Only ONE REPUBLICAN vote is needed. Only ONE to Pass the Bill. BLAME the PARTY of HELL NO, they are preventing us AMERICANS from surviving.
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