Washington, DC - 25,534 out of work Michigan residents could be just eight days from losing their unemployment insurance. By the end of the year, the number could jump to 62,753. That’s just part of the reason Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI15) co-sponsored H.R. 3548, the “Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2009.”  The Unemployment Compensation Act of 2009 will provide immediate assistance, extending relief to the estimated 314,000 workers across the nation 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.  H.R. 3548 will provide up to an additional 13 weeks of extended unemployment benefits in high unemployment states (bringing to 46 weeks the total potential emergency benefits).  Below are the Congressman’s prepared remarks:

“MADAM SPEAKER: I rise today in strong and full support of H.R. 3548, the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2009.  This legislation is sorely needed in my home state of Michigan and I urge all of my colleagues to lend their support.

“This legislation comes before the House at a critical time for many of our families.  By the end of this month more than 300,000 jobless workers are expected to run out of unemployment compensation.  The National Employment Law Project estimates that by the end of the year nearly 1.5 million workers will have used up their benefits.  In Michigan is expected that more than 62,000 will run out of their benefits by the end of December.  

“For the families that I represent this loss of benefits comes at a time when Michigan is continuing to struggle with over 15 percent unemployment.  In the metro Detroit area unemployment is even higher at 17.1 percent unemployment.  These are not families looking for a handout, rather they are relying on these benefits to pay their mortgage and put dinner on the table.  I can think of thousands of workers in my district alone who can confirm that $387 a week does not stretch far. 

“Although it is easy to lose sight of an individual family in the crowded pages of statistics and multi-colored graphs we use to try to quantify unemployment in this country, hearing the thousands of stories of my constituents struggling to stay afloat in these still-difficult times is enough to argue the necessity of this bill.  One of those stories was told to me by a man named Dave from Taylor.  Dave is 58 years old, but is unable to retire due to both a lengthy period of unemployment as well as being a victim of identity theft.  He moved back to Michigan to be close to his daughter, but still struggles to find work despite, in his words, “trying just about everything.”  Folks like Dave are not simply sitting around and idly hoping for a job.  They are actively searching every day and we must give them more time to do so.

“Another story highlighting the need for this extension was told to me by a man who introduced himself as Will at the Southeast Michigan Rehiring, Retraining, and Relief Fair I hosted in early September.  Will was a Senior Information Technology Project Manager with GM for 19 years, but despite a great deal of time and effort to both network and go through traditional channels, he continues to struggle to find employment.  Although Will is following leads on jobs he discussed with recruiters at the job fair, his situation is emblematic of the displaced auto workers from all sectors of the industry who will likely require retraining to find a new job as well as the continued unemployment benefits throughout that process to support themselves and their families. 

“Under this legislation States that have a three-month average of total unemployment rate of 8.5 percent will be eligible for up to 13 weeks of extended unemployment benefits.  This would bring the total amount of potential Emergency Unemployment Compensation to 46 weeks for 29 states. 

“The additional 13 weeks of benefits included in this legislation is far from being enough to solve the problem of unemployment, however, it will provide some piece of mind for our families and give our workers additional time for their job search.  And with six people looking for each available job, we know that this extension will be valuable.

“For those that doubt the need for this extension, consider that both Moody’s Economy.com and the Congressional Budget Office have found that such an extension is an effective economic stimulus.  For every dollar of unemployment benefits, $1.64 is provided in economic stimulus.  

“Madam Speaker, as a cosponsor of this legislation and as the federal representative for the state with the highest unemployment, I urge all of my colleagues to express their support for this extension and vote in favor of H.R. 3548.  Please do not let Congress’s holiday gift to our families in need be the exhaustion of their unemployment benefits.”