2010 Unemployment Extension - Senate to Vote on House UI Extension Bill
Harry Reid Chooses House Version Over the Senate's to Expedite Enactment
Over the course of the summer, the Senate argued over a number of versions of unemployment benefits extension bills. The House passed and sent up H.R. 4213, the "American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010" or "Tax Extenders" bill in early June, but Senate Democrats and Republicans disagreed over many of the provisions in the package as well as the massive price tag. This all served to complicated the issue of extending UI benefits filing dates for the jobless.
During the first test vote on H.R. 4213, not only all of the Republicans but a number of more fiscally moderate Democrats as well as Sen. Joe Lieberman, an Independent from Connecticut who caucuses with the Democrats, voted against the package. Both sides then proffered numerous revisions and miscellaneous amendments.
Democrats attempted to whittle down the cost of the overall legislation, in part by reducing unemployment benefits, in order to attract the more fiscally conservative on either side of the aisle.
Republicans offered multiple ways to offset the cost of many of the provisions of the bill by using, for instance, unallocated "stimulus" money and cutting wasteful government spending, even cutting their own Congressional budgets. Unlike the Democrats' revisions, however, the Republican options preserved maximum unemployment benefits such as the $25 per week FAC stimulus money as well as Cobra health insurance extensions for the jobless.
However, the Republican amendments for unemployment extensions were all either voted down by the Democrats or were never even allowed to get to the floor, rejected by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev) in favor of the Democrat versions which eventually won over all but one Democrat vote.
By Wednesday, June 30, the version of H.R. 4213 that the Senate was considering scarcely resembled the original House version. At the urging of Republican Senator Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), Reid finally bifurcated unemployment benefits extensions from the other contentious provisions of the "Tax Extenders" bill. A cloture vote on the greatly whittled down, nearly standalone unemployment extension bill was held, finally picking up two Republican votes from Snowe and Sen. Susan Collins, also of Maine, yet it still failed. Due to the passing of Senator Robert Byrd (D-W. Virg.) just days earlier, the bill fell just one vote short of the 60 necessary for cloture.
Then the Senate adjourned for a 12-day 4th of July Holiday recess The unemployed would have to wait, to worry and to lose benefits, utilities, cars and homes - while the Senate vacationed.
Still, the following day, July 1, the House passed another standalone bill for unemployment benefits extensions. Along with the failed Senate version, this new House bill, H.R. 5618, the "Restoration of Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act of 2010" would be there waiting for the Senate when they reconvened on July 12 after the recess.
There were, of course, other options on the table that could have prevented the suffering of the unemployed. There was a fully paid for unemployment extension and summer jobs bill from Republican Scott Brown (Mass.) with full Republican support which Reid refused to bring to the floor. Also, after the failed cloture vote on H.R. 4213, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) made yet another in a series of offers for a temporary extension of UI benefits to prevent the unemployed from having to go without help any longer while the Senate vacationed and continued to argue over the broader legislation. Unfortunately, this and every other Republican attempt to keep the unemployed out of the middle of this political battle and to prevent us from so much loss was rejected by Reid and the Democrats.
But now, since returning from recess and with a replacement for Sen. Byrd expected later today, Reid has several options before him which he can bring to a vote. And finally, doing something in the interest of the unemployed at last, Reid has chosen to put forward the House unemployment extension bill, H.R. 5618, rather than his own whittled down H.R. 4213.
This helps to expedite passage and implementation of UI extensions as the House has already signed off on this exact bill. If Reid were to pass the modified version of the previous bill, H.R. 4213, they would have to send it back to the House for "reconciliation", that is approval of the changes they have made to the bill. It would then need to come back to the Senate again for one final check off and then go to the President to be signed and made into law. This process could cost us several more days and even the possibility of failure should enough representatives in the House not agree to the changes.
So by choosing H.R. 5618, the standalone unemployment extension bill passed by the House on July 1, Reid has done the right thing at last, allowing us to see a light at the end of this incredibly long, dark tunnel. I guess he figured he'd milked our suffering for political gain long enough.
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Published by S Gardner
S. Gardner is a freelance writer and researcher. She has experience as a weight loss and health counselor, a real estate agent, a small business owner and a high school history and civics teacher. She is a... View profile
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8 Comments
Post a CommentWhat's really burnin me right now is how employers are using this crisis to scare their employees into whatever. I have just gone to my 8th interview this week, and as I left I saw a employee grabbing a smoke he told me they arn't hiring they're just trying to scare us.
This is not the first time I have heard this, and I've seen help wanted signs in the same places, gone in and I get fill out a application, when I already have.
There are several people in the neighborhood with decades of experiance, going from shop to shop making 8 dollars an hr. as machinest or welders because the shops are laying off, and re-hiring between jobs, instead of maintaining staff, or even allowing time for unemployment to kick in.
I have never thought poorly of this country, but now I believe that there is truly a perception from the "haves" that they are going to take this opportunity to enslave the "have nots".
I'm to old to fight the power anymore, i wish you all the best.
it. I am writing all this to get the word out about what is going on, to educate both the unemployed who are suffering as well as all the others who may be unaware. Keep your chin up and keep raising your voice. Things WILL change. America WILL come back. And so must we. God Bless.
Americans have always been and still are the most generous people in the world. Long before there were "safety nets", families and communities helped each other through hard times. Please don't feel to afraid or too ashamed to reach out to those that may be able to help you - Family, friends, neighbors, your church, food banks, etc. in your area. I didn't want to either but once close friends told others I was amazed at the support I received - Some friends give me rides to the grocery store when needed because I lost my car a few months ago, some have given me things I needed - a vacuum cleaner when mine broke down - some nice men from my church have come over several times to fix some long broken things in my house. What's important right now is for us to make it - For ourselves, for our families and for our country. UI Benefits will pass soon - I have another article on here about approximately how long it will take for them to be restored. Click on my butterfly avatar to find
To all those writing ... It breaks my heart to read what you are all going through. I, too, am unemployed and lost my benefits. But please hang in there. Do whatever you must do to survive and don't allow it to dash your pride. There are millions of Americans that truly do care about what is happening to us. There are places and organizations that are doing what they can to help. I told others here on Associated Content about what is happening to us, thinking that if they or their spouses are employed, they may not be aware of how awful it is for us that are not and they may not know what is going on. You wouldn't believe the response. Writers here have started blogs and writing challenges, using their writing for fund raising. People are writing articles about different ways people can help in their areas and they are gathering food and diapers and sundries and doing things to help with other needs.
up, but rather more like a burden. And then I read these statements by our senators where they run down the unemployed, bash us for all being "drug addicted hobos" etc, and it makes me furious! I have never in my life had to struggle just to maintain.
Even though I am faced everyday of getting closer and closer to losing everything I have worked for in the last ten years of my life, I can't help but feel sadness and remorse for the mulitudes in this country that have it worse than I do. My heart goes out to you all. Stay strong, keep your faith in God, and I will do the same...
I am writing this as one of the many americans who have, am, and will continue to suffer in this crisis until our government steps up to lend a helping hand!
I was an eight year veteran on my job and was laid off at the end of 08. At one time, my area in Indiana was the unemployment capital of the country with two visits to my area by President Obama himself. Once the economy plummeted, the RV industry fell, which devestated the entire area. If you worked anywhere around my area, you didn't have to work IN the RV industry, but chances are you worked FOR the RV industry. I worked for. When the industry started laying off and closing their doors, my workplace lost an estimated 70% of it's weekly income, and I lost my job.
Since that time, I have been looking for work with no luck. I don't think it is possible to go down any commercial or industrial street in my town without seeing closed businesses. The home town I have lived in for 38 years is becoming a ghost town. It is really sad
I claimed my last unemployment check on June 20th. I am single with no children (thankfully!) and I live alone in a little appartment. Prior to losing my job, I had bought a car and had plans of finding a better place to live soon. Now, every morning when I wake up, the first thing I do is look outside to see if my car has been repo'd thru the night. Just last week, I had to go and close my bank account at a bank I was with for the last ten years. I have no credit cards, no 401k, nothing but a stack of bills that continue to get bigger. Just yesterday, I spent the last $10 to my name just to buy a few items of food to get me hopefully through another week. I currently have no idea what I will do next week.
I am and have always been a very prideful person and am 100% independant. These last few weeks I have had to depend on the very few important people in my life for so much. Everyday that passes now I can't help but feel less and less like a person who use to be able to hold his head
I am surprised that so many are taking a side on this much needed extension. If there is so much money to fund this extension then why is it not being put against the already high deficit. Whether or not the extension in paid for up front or not it need to be passed to help hundreds of thousands of Americans. I am sick of both sides be so stuborn about their views and not as concerned about the jobless Americans. I think the only two people in Congress that have a clue is the women from Maine. They know something needs to be done and they will do whatever it takes to make it happen. I think everyone needs to take a page out of their books.