Re: New federal benefits legislation for 2010? --Please use this thread for all discussion

[grandmom49]

I think this is what we have been waiting for.
http://www.latimes.com/news/la-naw-senate-spending14-2009dec14,0,693349.story

[Me From Jax]

I think this is what we have been waiting for.
http://www.latimes.com/news/la-naw-senate-spending14-2009dec14,0,693349.story

Grandmom, I believe they will be attaching the ARRA and EUC extensions to the Defense Bill.. Hopefully it happens sometime this coming week.

[grandmom49]

Sorry, I jumped the gun. This article states that the unemployment extention is one of the bills still to be dealt with.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/14/us/politics/14spendweb.html?src=twt&twt=nytimes

[nancym]

This article sums up the likelihood of the House and Senate action:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitol-briefing/2009/12/house_likely_to_add_jobs_bill.html

Also, the defense appropriations bill is HR 3326. You can track just what amendments are being added to the bill, as well as comment on the bill in Open Congress here:

http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h3326/show

[Hoppy]

I just watched a video interview with Judy Conti of NELP. It gives excellent information regarding the end of year cut off and the March 2010 cut off. Here's the link to the video:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/34315793#34315793

[grandmom49]

The latest from unemployedworkers.org

http://unemployedworkers.org/sites/unemployedworkers/index.php/content/blog

[connorsgp]

looks like the defense bill with the ARRA extension attachment will be taken up today by the House; however, it appears that the ARRA extension will only be for 2 months till the end of February at which time another extension must be passed. I can't for the life of me understand why Congress does things like this in a piecemeal sort of way...I'm greatful for the 2 months.

[nancym]

looks like the defense bill with the ARRA extension attachment will be taken up today by the House; however, it appears that the ARRA extension will only be for 2 months till the end of February at which time another extension must be passed. I can't for the life of me understand why Congress does things like this in a piecemeal sort of way...I'm greatful for the 2 months.

Yes, I heard a summary on CSPAN yesterday that explained that the defense bill had become so bloated that they actually split it up into 4 bills now, but the unemployment extension remains with the main defense bill. It's a little uncertain if the Senate will actually get to it before Christmas, but still possible.

As for the two months, though I haven't read the actual amendment, if it goes as has been discussed for months now, we need to understand that doesn't mean just two months of benefits. Extending the ARRA deadline can mean anywhere from a few weeks to a few more months of benefits for any individual, depending on where that person falls in the sequence of benefits. The last payable date for EUC has always been way out in May or June, so while it means that those of us who need Tier 4 would now be able to get those extra six weeks, for those waiting to be eligible for Tier 1 that could mean 20 weeks more.

[connorsgp]

I understand that Nancym because my Tier 1 runs out 1st week in Feb so it looks like my Tier 2 will kick in and run till May

[nancym]

House just passed the defense bill with the unemployment extension, still has to get passed by the Senate.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iWvi0T-8pyaFcpBhcYVNq8Dk6KVQD9CKJ0180

[Jeff]

House just passed the defense bill with the unemployment extension, still has to get passed by the Senate.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iWvi0T-8pyaFcpBhcYVNq8Dk6KVQD9CKJ0180

Did'nt the House run it thru the Senate once already?

[connorsgp]

no...the process is House votes then the bill goes to the Senate for a vote..the Senate can ammend the bill or vote it up or down. The house passed the Defense appropriation bill today which includes the EUC extension and it is now in the Senate..then to Obama for signiture and it becomes law.

[nancym]

Did'nt the House run it thru the Senate once already?

Not with the House amendments. When amendments are added by either body, the bills bounce back and forth in conference until they've both voted on exactly the same legislation.

Here's the latest I found on prospects for the Senate schedule on this:

http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/1209/121609cdam1.htm

[nancym]

Wow, talk about unintended consequences--this just dawned on me. Unless Congress acts before Feb 28 to extend the EUC eligibility beyond what is given in this current bill (assuming it passes the Senate), then anyone even contemplating taking a short temp job before then will be risking losing six weeks of benefits! E.g., if a short stint at a Christmas job or whatever is added for just a couple weeks, that would extend a person's Tier 3 out beyond the cutoff date, making that person not eligible for Tier 4. Good grief!

[sc4ram]

Hi Nancy-

I was just reading up on the mechanics of extending EUC into next year, when I cam across your post on the fillibuster here. It sure is frustraiting waiting for a EUC check to have to wait for 60 Senators to be pacified before benefits are approved.

It would be convienent to eliminate the fillibuster when it obstructs something that you and I want. However if it happened to be legislation we are opposed to (say a new war for ecample), or a Senator trying to make a point on something that they feel is important to the country (a corny fictious example would be Jimmy Stewart in the movie Mr. Smith Goes to Washington", if you havent seen it you should check it out, its a Frank Capra masterpiece on how a benevolent government should work for the common folk) , I think we would both be thankful that the rule is there.

I remember a few years back the Repubs were frustrated that they had a majority in the Senate and still couldnt get many of their Judicial nominations approved without 60 votes and they threatened to pull the fillibuster rule for judicial nominations. The guys and gals in power now (in the minority then) were vehemently opposed to changing the rules. (It is obviously in the eye of the beholder) .

In my case today, that rule is the only thing standing in the way of my health insurance being taken away and I am awfully glad that it is there.

For our bill they have skillfully tacked our EUC bill onto the Defense Authorizatoin Bill, since I used to work in the Defense Industry, there are monies in this bill for just about every state and congressional district. I think the only fight over the bill will be how much more pork they can shove into it before Christmas. I doubt there will be much of a delay in passing it.

Merry Christmas........

And speaking of the Senate, if you never again want to witness the fiasco we watched as HR 3548 slogged through the Senate at tortoise speed while we lost homes, credit, and our sanity, consider signing this petition from Alan Grayson to stop the filibuster in the Senate rules:

http://stopsenatestalling.com/

I'd be the first to admit that the Senate was designed to move a bit more slowly than the House by design, but the extent to which this rule of filibuster has been used in recent years has done more harm than good. This rule is NOT in the Constitution, and the results of its use is NOT the romantic dramatization of justice that we saw with Jimmy Stewart in "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," but quite the opposite in the way it has been used. A time for an end to this Senate rule has come.

If you want some excruciating detail on the pros and cons and how they can go about revoking this rule, see this article:

http://news.firedoglake.com/2009/11/27/the-nascent-movement-to-end-the-filibuster/

[connorsgp]

the Senate will vote on Defense Appropriations today. Hopefully the President will sign it before he leaves for Copenhagen. Extending ARRA will give us some piece of mind, and I hope that I will be employed at the end of my next tier which will be middle of May. Looks like republican Senators are stringing out the Defense vote as a way to limit time for health care and debate on defense might go to 1:00 AM---yes 1:00 AM. I might revise my estimate and think the defense vote may not come until tomorrow.

[connorsgp]

let me restate my last.....looks like the Defense bill will be voted on at 7:00 AM Saturday...after all the procedural stuff the Senate is being forced to deal with Sat AM is the expiration of the time required before an actual vote takes place.

[sc4ram]

In a example of how every district is greased with this bill, I just read in my local paper yesterday there is over $6M in this bill for Central Florida (things like renovating ROTC buildings).

The bill may pass the Senate at the last minute but it will pass.

[nancym]

Latest: http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/12/18/senate.defense/

For anyone who hasn't been following all the details on this bill, this vote Saturday will determine whether we can all be eligible for the next tier in benefits that was previously cut off by the Dec 31 deadline. The new deadline in this bill for eligibility is Feb 28. That's just for eligibility; payout deadlines are revised also to later in the year.

Just to be clear again, there are no new tiers, just extensions of the deadlines.

[connorsgp]

Defense Bill as well as EUC extension passed this morning by a vote of 88 to 10 and will be signed today by President Obama. This is great news for me personally and for all of us who have been desperately trying to find a job.

[Jeff]

Defense Bill as well as EUC extension passed this morning by a vote of 88 to 10 and will be signed today by President Obama. This is great news for me personally and for all of us who have been desperately trying to find a job.

Ditto. A very nice Christmas gift. Many thanks to our government reps and all who cared and worked to make this happen.

[nancym]

Defense Bill as well as EUC extension passed this morning by a vote of 88 to 10 and will be signed today by President Obama. This is great news for me personally and for all of us who have been desperately trying to find a job.

Thank god! Thanks for posting the update.

[nancym]

I find it bizarre and quite telling that a Google search this morning brings up the news that millions of unemployed have been waiting for about the tier deadlines in the defense bill held ONLY in two stories put out by

1) a business insurance group concerned about getting the money from those Cobra subsidies in the bill, and

2) a site called "Ammoland"--apparently some kind of NRA-related group concerned about some kind of firearms protection in the bill.

What does that tell you about the country and the media and their concern for the unemployed?

[nancym]

In case no one noticed, AWI has posted details about this new bill in their Hot Topics section:

http://www.floridajobs.org/unemployment/hottopics.html

They actually give a pretty good general summary of the benefit sequence as well, along with final payout dates and how the latest bill has affected deadlines.

[GonzoFL]

Nancy,

Let me run this past you. My account as of today stands at $3005 and my next day to claim is 1/4/10. If I am figuring that correctly,that leaves me with 10.92 weeks of tier III. So,in counting ahead the weeks,my 10th week would fall on Feb.27,however,that leaves with a balance of .92. Do you think that will blow me out of the water for tier IV?

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