Unemployment Benefits
On April 7, the Senate passed bipartisan legislation to restore Federal funding for unemployment insurance for those who have been without benefits since the payments expired in December 2013. The bill would apply to 2.3 million long-term unemployed, including those who have run out of State unemployment benefits in the past few months. In addition to retroactively restoring benefits, it would allow unemployed workers to receive up to 47 weeks of additional assistance, based on their State’s unemployment rate, after they have exhausted up to 25 weeks of aid under the standard compensation program. The vote was 59 to 38, with…
