House Votes to Extend Unemployment Benefits

Talk about a week of high anxiety.

I discovered Monday my unemployment benefits, so far, my only means of life-support, had been exhausted.

Both the 26 weeks of state benefits and the federally-funded ``Emergency Unemployment Compensation’’ (EUC) had run dry.

I immediately tumbled into a state of panic, not knowing what I would do or where I would turn to support myself.

My frenzied state diminished, for the time being, once I realized I was still eligible for ``Extended Benefits’’, another federally funded program administered by the state.

But I could only imagine the terror of those who aren’t as fortunate; and have been cut off from receiving any benefits.

According to Robby Cunningham, spokesperson from the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation, as of October 31, 2009, 61,355 people in the Sunshine State have exhausted all benefits (state, Emergency Unemployment Compensation and Extended Benefits).

Nationally, it’s estimated nearly two million Americans are on the brink of losing benefits unless Congress passes legislation to extend jobless benefits.

Finally, with almost three weeks before Thanksgiving and after weeks of hemming and hawing and employing one delay tactic after another (mostly by Republicans), the U.S. Senate voted Wednesday in a 97-1 vote to invoke cloture and limit debate on HR 3548. Later in the day, the Senate passed the bill in a 98-0 vote.

Today, The House approved the extension in a 403-12 vote, which provides 14 additional weeks of unemployment benefits and up to 20 weeks in states with unemployment rates above 8.5 percent.

Most recent figures provided by the National Conference of State Legislatures shows 26 states with unemployment rates of 8.5 percent or higher. Nationwide, the unemployment rate stands at 10.2 percent.

President Obama is expected to sign the bill as early as Friday.

Under current law, as explained to me by Mike Trupo, spokesperson for public affairs from the U.S. Department of Labor, states provide for a maximum of 26 weeks of unemployment benefits. After those funds have been exhausted, the federal government provides up to 20 weeks of benefits of ``Emergency Unemployment Compensation’’ with an extra 13 weeks of benefits for ``high unemployment states’’ For those still jobless, the federally funded ``Extended Benefits’’ program kicks in, which provides for up to 13 weeks of benefits to states with certain levels of unemployment; and an extra seven weeks of benefits (at the state option) when unemployment exceeds certain levels.

The ``Extended Benefits’’ program was previously funded evenly 50/50 between the state and the federal government. After February 17, 2009, however, 100 percent of ``Extended Benefits’’ has been funded at the federal level.

From personal experience, there is nothing more terrifying than the feeling of not being able to land a job in a depressed economy and knowing the clock is ticking before support from the  state and federal government runs out.

I keep looking for some good news, something to be hopeful about, but my ears are constantly met with nothing but gloomy economic forecasts, with news of the unemployment rate never having been this high in 26 years and most economists agreed that the job market will get worse before it gets better.

I attended a job fair a few weeks ago, and when I presented prospective employers with my resume and told them my experience had been in the newspaper industry, most returned my greeting with a sad grief-stricken look, as if I had just been diagnosed with a terminal disease and was barely clinging to life on a respirator.

My misfortune is I’m an unemployed newspaper employee; my greater misfortune is I’m too old to reinvent myself and find another profession.

For over a year now, after submitting countless resumes and trying to make contacts with media industry employers, I’ve received nothing but a steady surge of the following replies: `We’re not hiring at this time’’…. ``We’ll keep you in mind if anything comes up’’…. ``If I hear of anything, we’ll be in touch’’….And the worst kiss of all--``Good luck’’

As I was telling someone just the other day; that while I try to stay positive, every day that I climb out of bed--seems more hopeless than the next.

Since being laid-off, I’ve lowered by expectations of what the future holds.

My only hope now is that before they lower me down in the ground, I will have gone to my grave having known what it was like to have a job again.

I can only imagine similar feelings for those much worse off than myself; those unfortunate souls who were waiting for Congress to extend them a helping hand before it’s too late.

-Bill Lucey
[email protected]

Comments

[bondwooley]

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[Matthias Wayland]

It's frightening. As grim as things are looking I suspect that even the extended benefits many people rely on will run out long before the economy turns around and jobs are available again.