For the thousands of New Mexicans who are relying on the roughly $295 weekly unemployment compensation (UI) checks to survive, Congress just passed legislation that will resume UI payments to many people who lost their jobs and continue to seek employment.

This UI extension does not provide additional weeks of unemployment benefits; rather, it ensures that we maintain the same level of support to individuals who lost their jobs later in the recession as those who lost jobs earlier.  Since New Mexico felt the effects of the recession later, this UI extension is one small, short-term step we can take to help New Mexico families weather the downturn.

The UI extension also ensures that individuals who lost their jobs later in the recession are provided with the same safety net as individuals who lost their jobs much earlier in the recession.