UPDATED February 5, 2010 As many as 1.5 million jobless Americans will exhaust their unemployment insurance benefits this coming March, according to projections by the National Employment Law Project, a private research group. By June, this number will swell to nearly 5 million unemployed workers nationally who will be left without any jobless benefits.
"Congress must swiftly act to maintain the lifeline for millions of jobless Americans caught in the undertow of record long-term unemployment in this ongoing downturn," said Christine Owens, Executive Director of the National Employment Law Project. "At the end of last year, Congress wisely agreed that our hardest hit workers and our economy were not yet out of the woods, and reauthorized the jobless benefits and health care subsidies from the ARRA. It is critical for Congress to renew these unemployment provisions through the end of the year before its Presidents Day recess for the millions workers again facing the end of the line— and to avoid missing the boat on this timely and effective economic jolt."
After a two-month reauthorization in December (the house added a ARRA reauthorization amendment to the Defence Appropriations bill), the critical benefits provided to jobless workers by the ARRA are set to expire at the end of February. In December, the House passed a $154 billon jobs bill, including an extension of the ARRA unemployment provisions; the Senate has yet to propose a jobs bill.
NELP's state-by-state analysis demonstrates the pressing need for another extension of the ARRA provisions that would fund additional benefits payments under the EUC.
Click here for the status of state by state eligibility for extended benefits.
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What do you think? How are you faring on unemployment benefits?
 November 25, 2009 The number of new applications for Unemployment Insurance tumbled to 466,000, dropping to below half a million for the first time since January according to the US Department of Labor .
The 4-week moving average was 496,500, a decrease of 35,000 from the previous week's revised average of 513,000.
Insured unemployment ending the week November 14 decreased by 190,000+ from the adjusted preceding week of 5,613,000 to 5,423,000. The 4 week moving average continued to decline, dropping to 5,613,750, a decrease of 98,500 from the preceding week's revised average of 5,712,250.
 November 19, 2009 The US Department of Labor said the number of people filing new applications for unemployment insurance in the week ending 14 November was unchanged from the revised previous week at 505,000. The 4-week moving average was 519,750, a decrease of 4,500 from the previous week's revised average of 524,250.
Insured unemployment ending the week November 7 decreased by 39,000+ from the adjusted preceding week of 5,650,000 to 5,611,000. The 4 week moving average continued to decline, dropping to 5,711,500, a decrease of 83,500 from the preceding week's revised average of 5,795,500.
 November 12, 2009 The US Department of Labor said new applications for unemployment dropped 12,000 to a seasonally adjusted 502,000 in the week ending November 7, from from the prior week's revised figure of 514,000. The 4-week moving average was 519,750, a decrease of 4,500 from the previous week's revised average of 524,250.
Insured unemployment ending the week October 31 decreased by 139,000+ from the adjusted preceding week of 5,770,000 to 5,631,000. The 4 week moving average continued to decline, dropping to 5,790,750, a decrease of 100,750 from the preceding week's revised average of 5,891,500.
 November 5, 2009 The US Department of Labor said new applications for unemployment dropped 20,000 to a seasonally adjusted 512,000 in the week ending October 31, from from the prior week's revised figure of 532,000. The 4-week moving average was 523,750, a decrease of 3000 from the previous week's revised average of 526,7250.
Insured unemployment ending the week October 24 decreased by 68,000+ from the adjusted preceding week of 5,817,000 to 5,749,000. The 4 week moving average continued to decline, dropping to 5,886,250, a decrease of 79,500 from the preceding week's revised average of 5,965,750.
 October 28, 2009 The US Department of Labor said new applications for unemployment dropped 1,000 to a seasonally adjusted 530,000 in the week ending October 24, from from the prior week's unrevised figure of 531,000. The 4-week moving average was 526,250, a decrease of 6000 from the previous week's unrevised average of 532,250.
 October 22, 2009 The US Department of Labor said new applications for unemployment rose 11,000 to a seasonally adjusted 531,000 in the week ending October 17, from from the prior week's revised figure of 520,000. The 4-week moving average was 532,250, a decrease of 250 from the previous week's revised average of 533,000.
 October 15, 2009 Although we know these numbers are not a real representation, since many people are dropping off UI or have been forced to take slave-wage jobs...
The US Department of Labor said new applications for unemployment dropped 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 514,000 in the week ending October 10, from from the prior week's revised figure of 524,000. The 4-week moving average was 531,500, a decrease of 9,000 from the previous week's revised average of 540,500.
 October 8, 2009 The US Department of Labor said new applications for unemployment dropped 33,000 to a seasonally adjusted 521,000 in the week ending October 3, from from the prior week's revised figure of 553,000. The 4-week moving average was 539,750, a decrease of 9,000 from the previous week's revised average of 548,750.
October 7, 2009 Faced with a stinging rise in unemployment, President Barack Obama summoned Congress' top two Democrats Wednesday to the White House to discuss additional proposals to help the jobless and boost the economy.
Meeting in the Oval Office, the president, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid agreed to press for another extension of unemployment benefits for many people out of work more than nine months. They also weighed the prospects of extending tax credits now due to expire Dec. 1 for first-time homebuyers and for laid-off workers to purchase health insurance.
Administration officials and independent economists have been predicting that unemployment would hit or surpass 10 percent some time this year.
Click through to the extensive Reuters report on the Obama/Pelosi/Reid meeting.
UPDATED March 8, 2010 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.4213 - Tax Extenders Act of 2009. To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend certain expiring provisions, and for other purposes. HR4213 is being conisdered by the Senate after passign the house and contains a laundry list of tax credit extensions AND extnds unemloyment insurance benefits and COBRA eligibiliy to December 31 2010 from the current February 28.
- 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.155 - Unemployment Benefit Tax Suspension Act of 2009.
- H.R.155 - Suspension of Federal Income Tax on Unemployment Benefits Act of 2009. This bill would suspend the income tax on UI benefits for 2 years. The bill has been in committee since January 2009.
- 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.
- H.R.3404 - Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2009. Jul 31st Referred to the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.
- S.1647 - Assistance for Unemployed Workers Extension Act.
Healthcare
Employment
Education and Training
Financial Services and Banking
- S.2746 - Too Big to Fail, Too Big to Exist Act. Would require the Treasury Secretary to develop a list of all "too big to fail" financial institutions within 90 days and, after one year, break them up. "Too big to fail" institutions are defined in the bill as an "entity that has grown so large that its failure would have a catastrophic effect on the stability of either the financial system or the United States economy without substantial Government assistance." Introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt).
- H.R.4173 - Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2009. Barney Frank's Consumer Portection Agency bill being watered down in the Senate. It would establish a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency to regulate products like home mortgages, car loans and credit cards, give the Treasury Department new authority to place non-bank financial firms, like insurance companies into receivership and regulate the over-the-counter derivatives market.
UPDATED November 6, 2009 -- With the passage of H.R.3548 in the U.S. House of Representatives by a bipartisan vote of 331-83, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) introduced legislation he authored to extend Unemployment Insurance (UI) for workers who have exhausted benefits in states that have been hit hardest by the economic downturn. Reed's Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2009 (S.1699) provides an additional 13 weeks of joblessness benefits in states with unemployment rates at or above 8.5 percent.
"This bill will provide basic support to jobless Americans who were laid off through no fault of their own and are struggling to find work in extraordinarily weak labor market," said Reed, who sent a letter to Senate Leadership today urging for swift passage of this legislation. "In addition to providing more weeks of unemployment insurance benefits, it is vital to continue unemployment compensation programs in law through at least 2010 to ensure benefits are available to workers more recently unemployed. It is also important to consider proposals that would help to stem job loss. Looking forward, we need to create a path of growth that creates jobs as consumer spending returns and production increases. The Senate leadership on both sides of the aisle know how important it is to get this done, and I'm working with them to move this effort forward."
The House bill covers the 27 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico with jobless rates of at least 8.5 percent. The 23 states that would not be included are Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and Wyoming.
S.1699 is companion legislation to a H.R.3548 the U.S. House of Representatives passed yesterday by a bipartisan vote of 331-83.
November 6, President Obama signs into law.
November 4, 2009 S.1699, also known as S.amdt.2668 passes 98-0 in the Senate.
October 25, 2009 Senate Democrats will push Tuesday to end discussion about an unemployment extension that would provide additional benefits to hundreds of thousands of americans who have exhausted their benefits. According to the National Employment Law Project, 400,000 unemployed Americans exhausted their unemployment benefits in September and another 200,000 will do so by the end of October. That averages out to 7,000 people per day reaching the end of their benefits in the face of an increasingly bleak job market.
As ammended, Florida and other states where the jobless rate is 8.5 percent or more would get 20 extra weeks of benefits. States with somewhat lower unemployment would get up to 14 more weeks. According to Jim Stratton of the Orlando Sentinel.
October 22,2009 Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) filed a procedural (cloture) motion on the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act (H.R. 3548). This vote is taking place on the motion to proceed, which essentially allows the Senate to begin debating the bill. So if Tuesday's motion passes, there could be up to 30 hours of post-cloture time required by Republicans before the debate and amendment process on the bill begins.
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UPDATED September 23, 2009 House bill HR3548 introduced by Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) passes today, 331-83 and moves to the Senate. HR 3548 extends unemployment insurance benefits for an additional 13 weeks in states where unemployment has averaged at least 8.5% over the last three months.
Rep. McDermott, chairman of the Income Security and Family Support Subcommittee that has jurisdiction over the nation's unemployment insurance system, took the unusual step of introducing a streamlined version of more comprehensive legislation already filed (HR 3404) after hearing from hundreds of ordinary Americans who called McDermott to say they have exhausted all their savings, their UI benefits are about to run out, and they face financial disaster unless government continues to provide a helping hand.
"Decent, hard-working Americans from North Carolina to California have been calling my office to tell me they still cannot find work after a year or more after becoming unemployed and they need some additional help to keep their heads above water," McDermott said. "I'm unwilling to stand by and do nothing when Americans from all walks of life face an economy where 6 unemployed workers are competing for every one job."
UPDATE September 23, 2009 HR.3548 Passes, 331-83, with 66 Republicans and 17 Democrats opposing the measure and now moves to the Senate. A companion Senate Bill S.1699 was introduced by Senator Reed (D-RI). S.1647 also awaits a vote.
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