Lawmakers voted, 87-13, yesterday to advance a $2.4 billion measure that would extend benefits 14 weeks in all states, and an additional six weeks in states with the highest unemployment rates (including Pennsylvania and New Jersey). The legislation has been stalled for weeks by a dispute over which proposed amendments to the plan would get a vote.
The national unemployment rate last month reached 9.8 percent, the highest since 1983. The share of those who have been jobless for at least six months is the highest in more than a half-century. More than 5.4 million Americans have been unemployed for at least 27 weeks, according to the Labor Department.
About 1.9 million Americans will exhaust their unemployment benefits by the end of this year unless Congress acts, according to the Labor Department.
The Obama administration said yesterday that it backed the extension proposal.
“Millions of Americans want employment but cannot find it, and the administration is committed to supporting these Americans as they look for work and struggle to raise their families and pay their bills,” it said in a statement.
http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20091028_Jobless-benefit_addition_advances.html
Tags: jobless benefits, labor department, obama
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