Dear friends,
As many of you know, last week an additional UI extension of 14-20 weeks was passed by Congress after much delay and signed into law by President Obama on Friday, November 6th. These additional extensions were contained in H.R. 3548 (The Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009).
The bill guarantees an additional 14 weeks of Emergency Unemployment Compensation to all states, regardless of their unemployment rates. These additional extensions will be available to workers who have already run out of their federal benefits available to them (both Emergency Unemployment Compensation and Extended Benefits, where available). Additionally, workers who exhaust their federal benefits between now and the end of the year will also be eligible for these additional extensions. Individuals receiving federal extended benefits at the end of the year will be "grandfathered in" and permitted to finish the Tier of benefits they were collecting before January 2010.
The bill provides an extra 6 weeks of Emergency Unemployment Compensation to workers in states with unemployment rates over 8.5%. There is some confusion about the delivery of these benefits to workers in February 2010 after they exhaust the new 14 week extension. It is true that the payment of these benefits depends on further renewal of all extensions provided for under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act by Congress for 2010, but this action is widely anticipated before workers will face the end of the new 14 week extension. Likewise, this same Congressional action is needed for workers who will exhaust either their regular state benefits or current extensions after the end of 2009.
You can find more information about how this extension affects your benefits, as well as what is available in your state, by checking out our press release and fact sheet. The fact sheet explains that benefits will be payable for weeks of unemployment starting this week, but states are likely to take several weeks to set up the programming needed to start the flow of benefits.
| Michael C. Burgess | R | TX-26 |
|---|---|---|
| Paul Broun | R | GA-10 |
| Jeff Flake | R | AZ-6 |
| Trent Franks | R | AZ-2 |
| Scott Garrett | R | NJ-5 |
| John Linder | R | GA-7 |
| Tom McClintock | R | CA-4 |
| Ron Paul | R | TX-14 |
| Tom Price | R | GA-6 |
| George P. Radanovich | R | CA-19 |
| John Shadegg | R | AZ-3 |
| Steve Scalise | R | LA-1 |
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The number of Americans filing for initial unemployment insurance fell last week, the government said Thursday, with a total figure that was below analysts' expectations.
There were 512,000 initial job claims filed in the week ended Oct. 31, down 20,000 from a revised 532,000 the previous week, the Labor Department said in a weekly report.
A consensus estimate of economists surveyed by Briefing.com expected 522,000 new claims.
The 4-week moving average of initial claims was 523,750, down 3,000 from the previous week's revised average of 526,750.
For full article click on title link
Suspensions (6 Bills)
The next stop would be the House, which passed a different unemployment bill in September. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said Tuesday that chamber leaders will take up the Senate bill as soon as it arrives from the upper chamber.
“Why they had to wait a week to get the vote is beyond me,” Hoyer told reporters. “Having said that, we will consider the UI when it comes over.”
There was also this article:
Rep Hoyer: House To Take Up Jobless Benefits Bill
http://www.easybourse.com/bourse/actualite/rep-hoyer-house-to-take-up-jobless-benefits-bill-755023
In part:
A top House Democrat said Tuesday that legislation extending federal unemployment insurance benefits will be brought up by the House for a vote shortly after it is passed by the Senate.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, (D., Md.) said at a weekly press conference that the legislation extending the benefits is a "critically important issue" and said the House will take it up as soon as possible.
Hoyer said two additions to the bill in the Senate to extend a home buyers' tax credit and open a one-off window for all businesses to write off losses incurred in the past two years against profits earned in earlier years would likely be acceptable to House lawmakers.
"I would prefer they did not do the changes they had affected, but they did, and I think they will be acceptable," Hoyer said.
If anyone has the time and ability to make a call tomorrow, Majority Leader Hoyer can be reached at:
1705 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone - (202) 225-4131
Fax - (202) 225-4300
Maybe someone can get some clarification on what "shortly after" really means to us. Ok, with that, I am REALLY taking tomorrow off! Good luck everyone :)
I just spoke with one of NELP’s contacts in
After last night's overwhelming vote for cloture, there will be more negotiations in order to try to get the minority on board with the bill. It is important to have the minority on board so the bill can pass very quickly. If this small minority holds out, it could take until the end of next week to get the bill passed. If they can't reach an agreement, Senator Reid will move to get the bill passed as quickly as possible without the minority vote.
Since the Senate's version of the bill is different than the House bill, the bill must go back to the House and be approved there. If the Senate can pass the bill tomorrow, then the House can consider the bill on Tuesday or Wednesday. If the Senate does not pass the bill until next week, then the House will consider the bill on the following Tuesday or Wednesday. Right now the most we can do is continue to demand that our respective Senators to take urgent action.
Retroactive Pay:
The new bill allows for retroactive eligibility, but not retroactive pay. Retroactive eligibility means that people who exhausted their benefits prior to the passage of the bill are still covered. However these people will not be entitled to a lump sum payment when the bill is passed. The major reason retroactive payment is not in this bill is that we just cannot afford it. If there was any way for us to be pushing for retroactive pay we definitely would do so. We understand people out there are hurting and right now the main thing is to get this bill passed so we can help those in dire need as soon as possible.
Pro Bono Attorney
National Employment Law Project
Tel: (212) 285-3025
The state Department of Labor and Training is preparing to implement the measure once it is enacted, Filippone said. “We’ve already started to do the programming,” he said. “So, once the bill is passed and signed, we will be all set to go.” The agency plans to mail letters to everybody who has exhausted their benefits, he said. The letter would include a form they would have to complete and return to apply for extended benefits, he said.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1109/29054.html
The Senate substitute package, drafted by Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and backed by Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), also contains language based on a proposal by Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA) that would extend and expand the first-time homebuyer tax credit. Specifically, the provision would continue the $8,000 first-time homebuyer credit through April 30, 2010, and allow a $6,500 credit for homebuyers who have lived in their current residences for five years or more.
The substitute legislation also would allow U.S. companies of every size to carry back net operating losses incurred in either 2008 or 2009 against income earned in any of the five prior years (limited to 50 percent of companies' income in the fifth year).
Inclusion of the tax breaks did not placate all Senate Republicans, however, as some continued to argue that the Democratic leadership was obstructing their right to offer amendments. "If we are really going to act like the Senate... Then we need to stop this," said Sen. Mike Johanns (R-NE), referring to Reid's procedural move last week to "fill the amendment tree."
Baucus countered that most Americans are more concerned about jobs than parliamentary procedure. "This amendment would help to speed the recovery from the Great Recession," Baucus said. "It would help to improve our economy, and it would help the American people."
While the unemployment benefits extension is fully paid for via an extension of the federal unemployment tax, the homebuyer tax credit and "carryback" provisions are partially offset by delaying implementation of a tax break for multinational corporations with respect to worldwide allocation of interest, and increasing the penalty for failure to file a partnership or S corporation tax return.
Today's vote has all but cleared the way for Senate passage this week, although Republicans are expected to force another "cloture vote" on the underlying bill, a move that would push a final vote to later in the week. Once the Senate clears its substitute legislation, the House could agree to the Senate's changes and subsequently send the bill to President Obama's desk. Otherwise, the two chambers would have to negotiate a final version by means of a conference committee.
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ANOTHER cloture vote may be needed????????? Say wha?????????????????
