FACTBOX: Senate votes to aid jobless, homebuyers

Wed Nov 4, 2009 11:11pm GMT
 
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(Reuters) - Unemployed workers would get more jobless benefits and homebuyers and businesses would get additional tax breaks under a bill approved unanimously by the U.S. Senate on Wednesday.

Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives have promised quick action on the bill.

Here is a description of each of the bill's provisions:

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE

* Jobless workers who have exhausted their unemployment benefits would get an additional 14 weeks of aid.

* Workers living in states where the unemployment rate is above 8.5 percent would get an additional six weeks of benefits, for a total of 20 extra weeks of benefits.

As of September, 27 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico had unemployment rates above 8.5 percent. Nationwide, unemployment stands at 9.8 percent, the highest since 1983, and analysts expect it to climb to 9.9 percent when figures for October are released on Friday.

About 3.4 million people now are receiving unemployment aid, according to the Labor Department.

* Roughly 600,000 workers may have already exhausted their benefits, according to the National Employment Law Project, and 1.3 million could do so by the end of the year.  Continued...

 

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