With the national unemployment rate at nearly 10 percent, workers are looking for a lifeline. Congress responded with a measure that will extend unemployment benefits for 14 weeks to workers who have been out of work for nearly a year, the Associated Press reports. Workers who live in states where the unemployment rate is 8.5 percent or higher will get an additional six weeks. The measure will apply to almost 2 million people.
The extension met with unanimous approval in the Senate; today, Congress voted 403-12 in support of the bill. It will be signed by President Obama tomorrow.
The extension, which will cost $2.4 billion, will be paid for by extending a mandatory unemployment insurance payroll tax on employers.
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