Bills in the U.S. Congress of Interest to NoJobSurvivors

UPDATED September 8, 2011 BREAKING - HR2501 Fair Employment Opportunity Act of 2011

The unemployed and underemployed should be vitally interested in a number of Bills progressing through Congress. Some like S1699 directly affect you as an unemployed person with benefits extension, others like HR1409, the famous Employee Free Choice Act, help protect workers.

Add your voice and support by contacting your Congress person or Senator. Click though for the bill of your interest for latest status and details on the Bill. If you have comments on these bills, later status, or a bill that you think others would be interested in, please add your comment below and we will track it.

Unemployment Benefits

• H.R.1745 - To improve jobs, opportunity, benefits, and services for unemployed Americans, and for other purposes.Tilte sounds good but allows states to redirect UI funds from benefits to debt servicing. A conservative response to Congresswoman Lee's HR589.
• H.R. 589  - Emergency Unemployment Compensation Expansion Act of 2011. To amend title IV of the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 to provide for additional weeks of first-tier emergency unemployment compensation, and for other purposes. Would add 14 weeks to the first tier of unemployment insurance benefits and make the new weeks available retroactively to all unemployed workers who have exhausted all of their benefits. Probably dead.
• S.3981 - Unemployment Insurance Stabilization Act of 2010. The bill would extend the filing deadline for federal unemployment insurance benefits until January 3, 2012. It would not create additional weeks of benefits (i.e. a fifth tier) and it does not contain a financing offset.
• S.3706 - Americans Want To Work Act. This bill would add a fifth tier of unemployment insurance benefits in states with unemployment rates above 7.5%. The new tier would provide 20 additional weeks of benefits payments, but it would not pay back benefits retroactively to cover the period between when the last tier expired and the new tier takes effect. Dead.
• H.R.4213 - Tax Extenders Act of 2009. To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend certain expiring provisions, and for other purposes. The Bill is is law as of July 22. COBRA extension and the $25 kicker were removed from the act.
• H.R.4183 - Helping Unemployed Workers Act. To amend the Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families Act and the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 to provide for the temporary extension of programs providing unemployment benefits, and for other purposes. It would extend the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program through March 31, 2011.This Bill is still in committee.
• H.R.4691 - Temporary Extension Act of 2010. The 30 day temporary extension of unemplpyment benfits passed into law March 2.
• S.2730 - COBRA Subsidy Extension and Enhancement Act of 2009. A bill to extend and enhance the COBRA subsidy program under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Intorduced by Senator Sherrod Brown, (D-OH), November 4, 2009. A House companion bill, HR3966 was introduced by Representative Andre Carson (D-IN). The COBRA extension and reauthorisation of the Unemployment benefits extension under ARRA was tacked on to  the Defence appropriations bill and passed in the house.
• S.1699 - Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2009. November 4 the Senate passes the bill 98-0.  President Obama signed into law November 6. Samdt2668 amends HR3548 adding 14 weeks of benefits for those in states below 8.5% unemployment and 20 weeks for states with more than 8.5%. Also this new bill would also extend the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit  set to expire on Nov. 30 through April 30, 2010.
• H.R.3548 - Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2009. Passed in the house, 331-83, with 66 Republicans and 17 Democrats opposing. Bill is Law November 6, 2009.

Healthcare

• H.R.3200 - America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009. Superceded by HR3962.
• H.R. 3962 - Affordable Health Care for America Act. (H.R. 3962) (formerly HR3200) is the final, merged version of the health care reform legislation that the House has been working on for much of 2009. Passed in the house November 8. Introduced to the Senate October 20.
• S.1796 - America's Healthy Future Act of 2009. The infamous Baucus Health care bill. Currently in reconciliation with S1679 introduced by Tom Harkin's HELP Senate Committee.
• S.1679 - Affordable Health Choices Act. This is the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee's (HELP) health care bill, approved by the committee on July 15, 2009.

Employment

• H.R. 2501 Fair Employment Opportunity Act of 2011 A To prohibit discrimination in employment on the basis of an individual's status or history of unemployment. S.2501 is the companion Senate Bill
• S.3816 - Creating American Jobs and Ending Offshoring Act. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to create American jobs and to prevent the offshoring of such jobs overseas. the bill has been presented in the Senate 9/22 and is of course meeting resistance from the GOP. The bill removes teh tax deduction for business expenses associated with moving jobs overseas.
• H.R.1409 - Employee Free Choice Act of 2009. Mar 10th Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
• H.R.3721- Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act.
  To amend the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 to clarify the appropriate standard of proof. - Introduced by Rep. George Miller after a rulling by the Supreme Court in June that places the burden of proof of Age Discrimination on the plaintive.
• S.1756 - A bill to amend the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 to clarify the appropriate standard of proof. Senate companion to HR3721 introduced by Sen. Tom Harken and Patrick Leahy.
• S.3069 - A bill to amend the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to provide for the preservation and creation of jobs in the United States for projects receiving grants for specified energy property.
• H.R.2568 5/21/2009--Introduced. Fairness and Transparency in Contracting Act of 2009 - Amends the Small Business Act to exclude as a small business, for purposes of meeting federal agency contracting goals with small businesses, any small business (or subsidiary thereof) that is publicly traded, or any business (or subsidiary thereof) with more than 50% non-U.S. citizen ownership.

Education and Training

• H.R.3221 - Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009. Introduced by George Miller. This bill would end a program that provides government subsidies to student loan companies and use the saving to increase Pell Grants and other scholarship programs.

Financial Services and Banking

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