Washington, D.C. – September 22, 2009 – (RealEstateRama) — Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada’s Third District voted today to extend unemployment benefits for Nevadans who are still finding it difficult to find work during the economic recession. Without Congressional action, hundreds of thousands of workers across the country would run out of unemployment benefits by the end of the month.
“Extending unemployment benefits at a time when Nevada is facing record unemployment will make a huge difference for many families who are struggling to get by. For some, it could mean the difference between making a mortgage payment or losing their home during Nevada’s foreclosure crisis,” Congresswoman Titus said.
H.R. 3548, the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2009, will immediately benefit more than 5,000 Nevadans who would have exhausted their benefits by the end of September and more than 14,000 whose benefits would have run out by the end of December. The legislation provides up to another 13 weeks of extended unemployment benefits in high unemployment states, which is defined as states having a seasonally-adjusted month average total unemployment rate of 8.5 percent or a 13-week insured unemployment rate about 6 percent.
Since coming to Congress, Titus has fought to get the economy back on track. She has supported an economic recovery package that is sending more than $2 billion to Nevada to create jobs and invest in education, infrastructure, and energy efficiency and conservation programs. Congressional action has slowed the pace of job loss. When President Bush left office in January, more than 740,000 jobs were lost that month, while the latest jobs report showed that 216,000 jobs were lost in August, down by more than two-thirds.
“This recession has been painful for many Nevadans who have lost their job or seen their hours cut back. Congress has taken many steps to address the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and we will remain focused on creating jobs and getting people back to work,” Titus added.
