U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee: Conference Committee Must Extend Emergency Unemployment Benefits

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from HuffPost:



Rep. Barbara Lee
U.S. Representative, California's 9th congressional district

Conference Committee Must Extend Emergency Unemployment Benefits


This week on Capitol Hill, a conference committee convened its second meeting to resolve the differences between the House and Senate in extending unemployment benefits beyond the end of the month. The conference committee for H.R. 3630 is tasked with coming to an agreement on the addressing the extension of the payroll tax holiday, unemployment compensation benefits, restoration of Medicare payments to physicians, and other matters. I believe it is essential to fully consider the ongoing impacts of the crisis in unemployment and long-term unemployment.

Our country is in the midst of a jobs crisis. Without immediate action, our economy will continue to stagnate. Any agreement will affect not only on the millions of affected individuals and families who are living life on the edge, but will no doubt impact our nation's struggling economy.

While we see some slow improvements in the jobs numbers, unemployment rates continue to be unacceptably high, and the rates of long-term unemployment as well a the length of time that the unemployed are out of work are both at record highs. Last year, 75 percent of the unemployed were receiving checks. The figure is now 48 percent -- a shift that points to a growing crisis of long-term unemployment. Nearly one third of America's 14 million unemployed have had no job for a year or more.

We must immediately extend the expiring emergency unemployment benefits to the maximum authorized levels, and we should also immediately add an additional 14 weeks of tier-I unemployment benefits for the millions of Americans who have completely exhausted their benefits while struggling to find work. My bill with Congressman Bobby Scott, H.R. 589, does just that. While the bill languishes in committee, it is my hope that this conference committee will consider this legislation for inclusion in any final legislative agreement. ..............(more)

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