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Rep. Levin Calls for Emergency Unemployment Compensation to be Available Next Year
On December 2, Representative Levin and other lawmakers from the House Ways and Means Committee joined together to introduce legislation to extend eligibility for federal unemployment insurance programs so that those who exhaust regular benefits or lose their jobs next year will be eligible for the emergency unemployment measures which were created last year and through the Recovery Act. Provisions, which provide up to 99 weeks of unemployment insurance, as well as a $25 addition to unemployment checks, are set to expire at the end of the year. Once emergency programs expire, approximately 30,000 people per day will exhaust their benefits, reaching three million by the end of March.
“In the face of 6 job seekers for every available job and the highest level of long-term unemployment since 1948, it is vital that we extend the emergency unemployment program," said Rep. Levin. “While we focus our efforts on spurring job growth, the unemployment program is there for families to make ends meet and weather these difficult times.” For more information, click here.
Lawmakers Urge Extension of COBRA Health Benefits
Last week, Rep. Levin and more than 50 other lawmakers signed a letter to House Speaker Pelosi urging an extension of the subsidy of COBRA health insurance. The Recovery Act passed in February provided a 65 percent subsidy for COBRA health insurance benefits to workers laid off between Sept. 1, 2008, and Dec. 31, 2009, for up to nine months. On November 30th, the nine-month subsidy expired for the first laid-off workers who received it since it became available, and each month thousands more will lose their COBRA benefit unless the subsidy is extended. It is important to note that contrary to what some media articles have implied, workers who are currently receiving the subsidy, or who begin to receive it this month will continue to receive it for a total of nine months. However, under the current terms of the assistance, workers who lose their jobs after the first of the year will not be eligible for the subsidy.
To read the letter to Speaker Pelosi, click here.
President Lays Out Path Forward in Afghanistan
On December 1, in a televised speech to the nation, President Obama presented his strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan. The President made the case that the extremists in Afghanistan and Pakistan have attacked us and our allies before and would have a greater capacity to regroup and attack again if we allow them access to the same safe havens they used before 2001. As part of a multi-faceted strategy, the President said that he is sending an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan and that these troops would begin to come home after 18 months. To read the President’s speech in full, click here.
Following the speech, Rep. Levin said, “I agree that key to the success of the new plan is that increased U.S. and allied troop levels must focus on training adequate Afghan forces to take control of the security of their own nation and that to increase the pressure on Afghanistan to do that, the U.S. troop commitment must not be open-ended so that after 18 months, U.S. troops will begin to come home.” For more information, click here.
$9.6 Million Awarded to Help Michigan Residents Purchase Efficient Home Appliances
On December 3, the Department of Energy released a total of $39 million to six states for state-run energy efficient appliance rebate programs. Michigan and Ohio received the largest allocations, with Michigan’s program totaling $9,598,000. The state estimates that this will provide over 114,000 rebates for clothes washers, refrigerators, dishwashers, and other appliances. For more information, click here.
The Week Ahead
The House of Representatives will consider a major package of financial sector reforms [H.R. 4173, the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act] to address the causes of last year’s financial meltdown. The House will also debate the Tax Extenders Act of 2009 [H.R. 4213].
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