Jul 20, 2010 | USA Today On Politics
Millions of out-of-work Americans would continue to receive unemployment benefits through November under legislation that cleared a major procedural hurdle in the Senate today after months of debate.
Democrats captured the 60 votes required to overcome GOP opposition only after swearing in a new Democratic senator from West Virginia, Carte Goodwin, who will temporarily fill the seat left vacant by the June 28 death of Robert Byrd.
The legislation, which was supported by President Obama, will extend benefits for those who have already used their standard 26 weeks of unemployment. The measure now faces a final vote in the Senate and must also clear the House of Representatives.
Republicans have said they also support extending the benefits but argue that the $34 billion cost of the proposal should not add to the deficit. "Of course we ought to extend unemployment," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. "But we ought to pay for it."
The vote came just minutes after Goodwin was sworn in, giving Democrats the 60 votes they needed to overcome the threat of a GOP filibuster. Goodwin was escorted on to the Senate floor by West Virginia's senior senator, Democrat Jay Rockefeller. Vice President Biden administered the oath of office.
"Hey, Carte, welcome," Biden said before presiding over the swearing in. "Good to see you, man."
Updated at 3:25 p.m. ET. Two Republicans -- Maine Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins -- voted for the unemployment legislation. One Democrat, Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska, voted against it.
"I support extending unemployment benefits for Nebraskans and Americans who remain out of work," Nelson said in a statement. "However, I opposed the Senate's unemployment bill today because it should have, and it could have, been paid for."
You need to provide proof of wages that you have worked between 033008-032809 and earned $1300.00 in a quarter or $900.00 in a quarter plus 1.25 in a second quarter within the year above. You were mailed this instruction with a blue return envelope on 032809 A special section of the California Unemployment Insurance Code (CUIC), Section 1277, is used to determine the validity of your new claim. This Section applies to the base period of the new claim and may include wages that were paid prior to the effective date of the claim recently completed, but not used in determining that prior claim’s award. These particular wages may not be used again on the new claim. When an overlap of previously used wages occurs, the new claim is valid only by performing additional new work. In order to establish the validity of a new subsequent claim, one, two or three quarters of work on the new claim may be excluded, depending when the work occurred. If you are unsuccessful in obtaining work during the 52-week benefit year of your prior claim, your new claim will be determined “invalid” under Section 1277 of the CUIC. No benefits will be payable on the new claim. The purpose of the law is to require a continuous attachment to the labor market before an individual may collect on two successive claims. Please read page 13 number 9 “Re-qualification Requirements” in “A Guide to Benefits and Employment Services” (DE1275A) provided to you.
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