WASHINGTON, DC - In an effort to help struggling Rhode Islanders and Americans continue to pay the bills as they look for work, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) today announced that he has introduced the Assistance for Unemployed Workers Extension Act (S. 1647), which builds on the bipartisan legislation he authored last year, to ensure that unemployment insurance benefits continue to be available. This legislation would extend several current-law unemployment compensation programs through 2010. It also provides an additional 13 weeks of unemployment insurance for workers who have exhausted benefits in states like Rhode Island, which have an unemployment rate at or above 8.5 percent.

More than 1,500 Rhode Islanders have completely exhausted their unemployment insurance benefits this year. By November, another 3,300 unemployed Rhode Islanders will also exhaust their benefits. This is about 150 people each week.

"Without this legislation, nationally over half a million workers are expected to exhaust their benefits by the end of September, and another 1.5 million are estimated to run out of coverage by the end of the year. This is an extraordinary number of Americans who will face life without a paycheck or an unemployment check during the worst economy since the Great Depression," said Reed. "Providing basic support for those who are out of work through no fault of their own assures Americans can provide for their families and keep a roof over their heads, stemming the tide of foreclosures and the deterioration of neighborhoods."

In November 2008, Congress passed Reed's initiative to extend $6 billion of jobless benefits and additional help to states like Rhode Island that have unemployment rates above the national average. Among other provisions to help stimulate the economy, create jobs, and help the unemployed, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act extended the termination dates of these unemployment benefits until the end of this year.

"For the first time in over a year, the national unemployment rate has dropped. While this is good news for some, there are still too many families struggling to make ends meet in Rhode Island and across the country. With roughly one job opening for every five job seekers, it's imperative that we act quickly to extend joblessness benefits to Americans who need it most and to states like Rhode Island that have been hit hardest. As has been the case with past extensions, I look forward to working on a bipartisan basis to pass this legislation," concluded Reed.

Cosponsors include Senators Durbin, Schumer, Boxer, Lautenberg, Levin, Stabenow, Whitehouse, Kerry, Menendez, Cardin, Brown, Begich, Burris, and Franken.