House of Representatives Introduces H.R. 5618

UPDATE:  This bill failed today in the United States House of Representatives.  The text that was posted earlier will remain however it is no longer applicable.  It remains solely to compare a bill that might come forward and also to compare against previous legislation introductions. 

The information below is no longer relevant to the current situation.

As posted at, http://waysandmeans.house.gov/press/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=11236

Status: FAILED

H.R. 5618 The Restoration of Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act

Click here for the text of H.R. 5618

Click here for a graph of the cumulative number of workers losing unemployment benefits due to Senate Republicans’ filibuster of H.R. 4213

Click here for state-by-state breakdown of the estimated number of claimants losing unemployment benefits by July 3, 2010 if Congress fails to act.

Summary:

• The Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) Program began to phase out at the end of May.

• This means individuals exhausting their 26 weeks of regular unemployment benefits over the last month, or exhausting any of the tiers of Federal EUC benefits during this time, are not eligible for emergency unemployment benefits.

• The legislation would retroactively restore those benefits and continue the EUC program through November.

• In addition, the legislation would restore full Federal funding for the permanent-law Extended Benefits program (through November).

• Both of these same policies were included in the jobs package (HR 4213) passed by the House on May 28th.

• Without this extension, an estimated 1.7 million individuals will have lost their unemployment benefits by July 3.

• The bill also includes two beneficiary protections: the continuation of a rule that conditions State eligibility to offer Federal unemployment benefits on an assurance that the State is not cutting the level of regular unemployment benefits; and a safeguard included in the House-passed jobs package (HR 4213) that prevents EUC claimants from having their benefits cut if intermittent earnings requalifies them for regular, State unemployment benefits (which may provide lower payments because the claimant’s more recent wages were lower).

• Unlike the House jobs package (HR 4213), the legislation does not include an extension of the Federal Additional Compensation program, which increases all UI benefits by $25 a week.

The above text is verbatim from the House Ways & Means Committee website posted today, June 29, 2010.

This bill does not include additional weeks of benefits.

In order to pass this bill, Democrats will need 3 Republican votes.  Both Senators from Maine have agreed to vote for a stand-alone bill but there is still one vote needed as Senator Ben Nelson has 'bailout fatigue'.

99ers Got Ed & Jim McDermott - Last Night's Ed Show

This clip is from "The Ed Show" which aired last night on MSNBC.

For those who missed it, enjoy.

(If there is anyone out there who cannot hear the audio due to hearing impairment or simple lack of speakers on your computer... the transcript of this video will be added to this post within 24 hours.)

Essentially, the video finally points toward a more defined direction for those who have exhausted all benefits and Rep. Jim McDermott is beginning the hearings for the long term unemployed.  There is still no bill yet - it is in a committee though - as soon as more details get hashed out everyone will know more details.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Jim McDermott Changes YouTube Video Title After Caving To "Republican Obstructionism"

Mr. McDermott, you are not the only one who can change a title.  Logged for all of my readers (which is quite a considerable number for a small blog) is the blatant fact that you had a YouTube video that you titled "Rep. Jim McDermott on Tier 5 Unemployment Extension". 

Now you have changed that title.  Did you cave to the same Republican obstructionism you speak about in your video or did you think you could prosper from a publicity stunt?  Inquiring minds want to know.

Below was US Unemployed Blogsite's original posting on this:

Something interesting is on YouTube.  It has a posted date of April 23, 2010.  The most encouraging information for the long term unemployed is the fact that this particular YouTube video is posted by Representative Jim McDermott's official YouTube Channel:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImcruChcDNI

The video WAS titled: 

"Rep. Jim McDermott on Tier 5 Unemployment Extension"



There are only two options why this video exists under that title and is on the offiical YouTube Channel for the Washington State's 7th Congressional District by Democrat Representative Jim McDermott. 

It's either a publicity stunt - earmarked to simply talk about Republican obstructionism and a really bad joke to play on the longest term unemployed who desperately need a Tier 5 Unemployment Extension. 

-OR-

He plans to introduce Tier 5 Legislation.

Let's hold him accountable to the latter.  If the first possible explanation (or something similar) is his plan, he would be using those needing a Tier 5 as a publicity stunt.  He would be essentially insulting the intelligence of all of the longest-term  unemployed.  Personally, I do not believe McDermott would do this.  His district has a very high unemployment rate and his voting record in the past has always been in the favor of extending unemployment.

Readers, what do you think?  Publicity stunt or real thing?  Obviously, we need the legislation on the table before we can say for certain but Mr. McDermott needs to be held accountable titling a YouTube video "Rep. Jim McDermott on Tier 5 Unemployment Extension" if he does not intend to bring the legislation to floor. 

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Now for certain we can say he's changed position or that was a publicity stunt.  Shame on you, Rep. McDermott!