BILL TO EXTEND UMPLOYMENT BENEFITS PASSES HOUSE

4 San Diego Congressional representatives vote “aye”; Hunter votes “no”

September 24, 2009 (Washington D.C.)—San Diego Democrats Bob Filner and Susan Davis joined with Republicans Brian Bilbray and Darrell Issa in voting  to stimulate the local economy and provide stability to American families by extending unemployment insurance benefits to those hit hardest by the recession. Rep. Duncan Hunter, who represents most of East County, voted against the bill.

The Unemployment Compensation Act of 2009 (HR 3548) will provide immediate assistance, extending relief to the estimated 314,000 workers who would otherwise exhaust their unemployment benefits by the end of September, and one million more whose benefits would run out by the end of the year.

“This is just one more crucial step to provide immediate relief to struggling families and get our economy moving in the right direction,” said Filner. “The families who receive these benefits will be putting money right back into our local economy – buying groceries, filling their cars with gas, and making their mortgage payments on time.”
 

The extension will provide immediate stimulus to the local economy. The Congressional Budget Office has cited unemployment benefits as one of the most cost-effective forms of economic stimulus, and every dollar spent on unemployment benefits generates $1.63 in new demand, according to Moody’s chief economist Mark Zandi. The extension is fully paid for, and strengthens reporting requirements to reduce unemployment insurance overpayments.
 

The legislation will help families in at least twenty-seven states with the highest unemployment rates, where it is most difficult for workers to find employment. Workers in these states who have exhausted or will soon exhaust their benefits will be eligible for an additional thirteen weeks of insurance, bringing the total to forty-six weeks.
 

“While we continue working to turn this economy around, this extension will provide much-needed relief to millions of unemployed Americans as they struggle to find work,” concluded Congressman Filner.