SPECIAL EDITION - UNEMPLOYMENT DAY 4

UPDATE FROM OPENCONGRESS - 8:05pm MDT
http://www.opencongress.org/articles/view/1960-Unemployment-Extension-Passes-House-But-the-Bill-is-Now-Stuck-in-Limbo

excerpt from article:

The Iowa Independent reported earlier in the day that another Senate vote was possible tonight under an emergency session called by Senate Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid [D, NV], but that does not appear to be panning out. It looks like the Senate will, in fact, stay adjourned until July 12.


UPDATE FROM WAYS & MEANS COMMITTEE 3:25pm MDT

http://blog.waysandmeans.house.gov/income-security-and-family-support/2010/07/standing-up-for-the-unemployed.shtml

This is a good read on what is happening and why.



UPDATE FROM NY DEPT OF LABOR FACEBOOK PAGE 2:21pm MDT

Their page can be followed at: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/nyslabor

New York State Department of Labor

All – The House has just passed the stand alone Unemployment Insurance Extension bill in a 270 to 153 vote, which included language keeping benefits “retroactive” to June 2nd. However, at this point the Senate does not plan on taking up the measure until after the recess and after Senator Byrd’s replacement is sworn in. They are scheduled to return the week of July 12. We will keep you posted

UPDATE ON HR 5618 - 1:59pm MDT

270-153 House approves Jobless Benefits through November 30, 2010


UPDATE ON HR 5618 - WHAT IT READS - VOTE TALLIES AND FURTHER INFORMATION TO COME

H. R. 5618

To continue Federal unemployment programs.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

June 28, 2010

Mr. MCDERMOTT (for himself and Mr. LEVIN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

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A BILL

To continue Federal unemployment programs.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Restoration of Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act of 2010'.

SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE PROVISIONS.

(a) In General- (1) Section 4007 of the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 (Public Law 110-252; 26 U.S.C. 3304 note) is amended--

(A) by striking `June 2, 2010' each place it appears and inserting `November 30, 2010';

(B) in the heading for subsection (b)(2), by striking `JUNE 2, 2010' and inserting `NOVEMBER 30, 2010'; and

(C) in subsection (b)(3), by striking `November 6, 2010' and inserting `April 30, 2011'.

(2) Section 2005 of the Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families Act, as contained in Public Law 111-5 (26 U.S.C. 3304 note; 123 Stat. 444), is amended--

(A) by striking `June 2, 2010' each place it appears and inserting `December 1, 2010'; and

(B) in subsection (c), by striking `November 6, 2010' and inserting `May 1, 2011'.

(3) Section 5 of the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-449; 26 U.S.C. 3304 note) is amended by striking `November 6, 2010' and inserting `April 30, 2011'.

(b) Funding- Section 4004(e)(1) of the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 (Public Law 110-252; 26 U.S.C. 3304 note) is amended--

(1) in subparagraph (D), by striking `and' at the end; and

(2) by inserting after subparagraph (E) the following:

`(F) the amendments made by section 2(a)(1) of the Restoration of Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act of 2010; and'.

(c) Conditions for Receiving Emergency Unemployment Compensation- Section 4001(d)(2) of the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 (Public Law 110-252; 26 U.S.C. 3304 note) is amended, in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by inserting before `shall apply' the following: `(including terms and conditions relating to availability for work, active search for work, and refusal to accept work)'.

(d) Effective Date- The amendments made by this section shall take effect as if included in the enactment of the Continuing Extension Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-157).

SEC. 3. COORDINATION OF EMERGENCY UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION WITH REGULAR COMPENSATION.

(a) Certain Individuals Not Ineligible by Reason of New Entitlement to Regular Benefits- Section 4002 of the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 (Public Law 110-252; 26 U.S.C. 3304 note) is amended by adding at the end the following:

`(g) Coordination of Emergency Unemployment Compensation With Regular Compensation-

`(1) If--

`(A) an individual has been determined to be entitled to emergency unemployment compensation with respect to a benefit year,

`(B) that benefit year has expired,

`(C) that individual has remaining entitlement to emergency unemployment compensation with respect to that benefit year, and

`(D) that individual would qualify for a new benefit year in which the weekly benefit amount of regular compensation is at least either $100 or 25 percent less than the individual's weekly benefit amount in the benefit year referred to in subparagraph (A),

then the State shall determine eligibility for compensation as provided in paragraph (2).

`(2) For individuals described in paragraph (1), the State shall determine whether the individual is to be paid emergency unemployment compensation or regular compensation for a week of unemployment using one of the following methods:

`(A) The State shall, if permitted by State law, establish a new benefit year, but defer the payment of regular compensation with respect to that new benefit year until exhaustion of all emergency unemployment compensation payable with respect to the benefit year referred to in paragraph (1)(A);

`(B) The State shall, if permitted by State law, defer the establishment of a new benefit year (which uses all the wages and employment which would have been used to establish a benefit year but for the application of this paragraph), until exhaustion of all emergency unemployment compensation payable with respect to the benefit year referred to in paragraph (1)(A);

`(C) The State shall pay, if permitted by State law--

`(i) regular compensation equal to the weekly benefit amount established under the new benefit year, and

`(ii) emergency unemployment compensation equal to the difference between that weekly benefit amount and the weekly benefit amount for the expired benefit year; or

`(D) The State shall determine rights to emergency unemployment compensation without regard to any rights to regular compensation if the individual elects to not file a claim for regular compensation under the new benefit year.'.

(b) Effective Date- The amendment made by this section shall apply to individuals whose benefit years, as described in section 4002(g)(1)(B) the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 (Public Law 110-252; 26 U.S.C. 3304 note), as amended by this section, expire after the date of enactment of this Act.

SEC. 4. REQUIRING STATES TO NOT REDUCE REGULAR COMPENSATION IN ORDER TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR FUNDS UNDER THE EMERGENCY UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION PROGRAM.

Section 4001 of the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 (Public Law 110-252; 26 U.S.C. 3304 note) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:

`(g) Nonreduction Rule- An agreement under this section shall not apply (or shall cease to apply) with respect to a State upon a determination by the Secretary that the method governing the computation of regular compensation under the State law of that State has been modified in a manner such that--

`(1) the average weekly benefit amount of regular compensation which will be payable during the period of the agreement occurring on or after June 2, 2010 (determined disregarding any additional amounts attributable to the modification described in section 2002(b)(1) of the Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families Act, as contained in Public Law 111-5 (26 U.S.C. 3304 note; 123 Stat. 438)), will be less than

`(2) the average weekly benefit amount of regular compensation which would otherwise have been payable during such period under the State law, as in effect on June 2, 2010.'.

SEC. 5. BUDGETARY PROVISIONS.

(a) Statutory PAYGO- The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined by reference to the latest statement titled `Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation' for this Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.

(b) Emergency Designations- Sections 2 and 3--

(1) are designated as an emergency requirement pursuant to section 4(g) of the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-139; 2 U.S.C. 933(g));

(2) in the House of Representatives, are designated as an emergency for purposes of pay-as-you-go principles; and

(3) in the Senate, are designated as an emergency requirement pursuant to section 403(a) of S. Con. Res. 13 (111th Congress), the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2010.

===========================

In the House of Representatives another vote on HR 5618. http://clerk.house.gov/floorsummary/floor.html

The Senate left us high and dry yesterday and then had the nerve to call for vacation until July 12.

As I sit and watch CSPAN, I wonder why we need to vote to congratulate South Africa on their Human Trafficking Policy. If their policy is good, just do it. Sheesh. This is just one of the many votes and time wasted in both the Senate and House of Reps. I have blogged on this in the past to great length.

What these Senators and House Reps aren't telling us is that there are more and more duplicate FEDERAL programs with PAID employees for each. These are costing US tax dollars! The reason why there are so many duplicates is because each time a vote comes up for another "federal program" to be established, few read the bill and therefore, it's not investigated and found as a duplicate, and it passes. If MORE House Reps and Senators took the time to READ and RESEARCH the bills, and vote accordingly, we'd not be in the mess this government is in today.

While watching CSPAN2, I viewed President Obama discussing illegal immigration and embracing them. NO NO NO! My ancestors came to the United States of America through Ellis Island, how many of yours did too? I'm not in the position to allow illegal immigrants to stay in our country and live off MY tax dollars. NO WAY, NO HOW! It's gone on for too long and must stop.

Another disturbing bit of information on CSPAN2 was that OUR tax dollars built into the "war budget" are paying to bribe drug lords in Afghanistan. Is this horrendous? Are YOU mad? I'm mad as heck and will not lay down and take this.