2010 Unemployment Extensions - How Soon Can Benefits Be Restored?

2010 Unemployment Extensions - On July 1, Congress left town for a 10-day 4^th of July holiday recess without passing an unemployment benefits extension bill. They had debated a number of options over several months, with the Democrats invariably voting down the Republicans' propositions and the Republicans and several others voting down the Democrats' versions on deficit concerns.

Never mind the rationale - Unemployment benefits have been cut off for over 1.2 million jobless Americans already and hundreds of thousands see what's left of their benefits running dry in the all too near future.

There is hope, however, that the one voted needed to finally pass the Democrats' UI extension bill will be there upon the Senate's return to work next Monday, July 12.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev) had picked up two Republican votes in Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, both of Maine, on Tuesday, June 30, just before the recess. Had it not been for the passing of Senator Robert Byrd (D-W. Virg.), Reid would have finally had the 60 votes necessary for cloture and then a final vote on the bill. Now that final vote is expected with the appointment of a temporary replacement for Senator Byrd. So hopes are high among the unemployed that the unemployment benefits extension bill will finally pass when the Senate returns to Washington next week.

So, considering that best case scenario, what does it mean for the unemployed? If, indeed, the bill does get the 60 votes to pass when the Senate reconvenes, how soon can we expect to get our unemployment benefits back?

That question is a bit more complicated than it seems. First of all, it is not known exactly when Senator Reid will bring the bill to the floor for a vote. As Senate Majority Leader, it is Reid's responsibility to choose which business is heard and in what order. He will most certainly be talking to Senators, hoping again to insure that he still has the votes he had previously collected. Then it may depend on how pressing other issues before the Senate are. But Sen. Reid is well aware of the emergency nature of the UI extension bill and how desperately unemployed Americans are to have their benefits restored.

It should be safe to expect, then, that the UI Extension bill, in one of it's forms, will go before the Senate for a cloture vote and then, if passed, for a final vote on the bill as quickly as possible.

Next, assuming the bill is passed on Monday or Tuesday, the 12^th or 13^th of July, it may either have to go up to the President for final signature or back to the House for "reconciliation". This will depend on which bill Senator Reid chooses to present to the Senate.

If he were to put H.R. 5618, the "Restoration of Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act of 2010" (the final standalone bill passed in the House last Thursday), the bill should be able to go immediately to the White House for President Obama's signature. But should Reid decide to take the opportunity to present H.R. 4213, the "American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010", for a vote in an effort to get all of the package through Congress, he would likely lose his 60 votes again due to other disagreeable provisions that had previously helped to sink the bill. Even if it were to pass, however, because of all of the changes the Senate made to the bill originally sent up from the House, it would have to go back to the House and through a process called "reconciliation". Perhaps these changes would be approved, but the additional amount of time involved is simply unacceptable to the hundreds of thousands of jobless already desperate for the restoration of their unemployment benefits lifeline. Because of this and the enormous pressure from constituents to get something passed, it seems a fairly safe bet that Reid will push along the simpler, cleaner UI extension bill. (There are several other bills presumably still alive in committee, but these seem the most likely as of today.)

Once one of the Unemployment Extension bills has finally passed the Senate (and possibly been reconciled in the House), the bill will go up to the President for signature. Again, it will depend on the President's schedule how quickly he can sign, but as he has already expressed how urgent the need for these extensions, it seems reasonable to expect that he will make it a priority.

Then, this legislation has to be written up, monies allocated and the order sent to State Unemployment Divisions all over the country. There, already overloaded state government employees will work as quickly as possible to calculate any arrearages and send out unemployment benefits checks as well as ongoing claim forms to get the ball rolling for unemployment recipients again. There is a lot of work to do, many calculations and more correspondence to get all this done. Throw in a few days for the post office (unless you receive your UI benefits by automatic deposit), and it could well be early to mid-August, also depending on which state we are in and how they handle our filing, before those of us who have already lost our benefits will begin to see these monies again.

Clearly, all of this is based on educated speculation with a liberal dose of hope. The point being, however, that even in the best case - assuming the bill will quickly pass - we will still need to find a way to survive for probably three to four weeks before our benefits are restored. All of us who are unemployed and who have lost our benefits must do our best not to panic, but to find ways to hang on.

So keep looking for work. Continue to keep track of your job search efforts. Continue to send in your claim forms if your state is handling things that way. Continue checking your state's employment division website for updates. And continue stretching everything you can stretch. Keep talking to your mortgage lenders or landlords and your utility companies and work out what you can. And do not for one moment feel embarrassed to ask for help - from family, from friends, from your church or local shelters or service organizations. Before America had unemployment insurance, she was built on giving and helping one another. There is truly no more giving nation of people in the world. So don't be afraid to ask. One day, we, too, will be able to help others again, if only we make it through this tough time now.