HR 4213 not Enough; Tier 5 Unemployment Extension of Federal Benefits Needed and 99ers push for new Tier Extension Bill
Posted on | July 30, 2010 | No Comments
Retroactive payments are in progress for unemployment benefits due to HR 4213. There are currently 5 million unemployed Americans across the United States and approximately half of those persons were recently cut off of benefits when the insurance ran out and no extension was granted. Some of these people exhausted benefits all together. They are called the 99ers and they want a tier 5 extension of federal unemployment benefits. Local representatives are feeling the pressure of many who want their reps to add a new category for extended unemployment compensation – a Tier 5. Again, the new group of people that need attention are known as the 99ers.
These are those people that have been out of work over 99 weeks and are no longer eligible to receive federal unemployment benefits. Over a million of Americans currently fall into this category which accounts for almost 10 percent of the total number of Americans out of work. The federal funding allotted in each state varies due to the specific unemployment rates in that state so the extension of benefits and funding is dependent on the state’s specific unemployment rate. Each state however is feeling pressure to lengthen the period of time that unemployed workers are eligible to receive federal aid. HR 4213 is not sufficient for the 99ers and these people are pressuring Congress to act on a Tier 5 unemployment extension bill. Some politicians are beginning to outwardly speak their support of the 99ers and this type of extension. Voting time will soon be upon us and the 99ers might have some strength in numbers. Currently only two senators have expressed support but more may come out as voting time draws nearer.
Author: Camillo Zucari