Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) on Monday, Jan. 25 joined 32 of his colleagues in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) urging the extension of unemployment and COBRA benefits.
“Making sure that Minnesotans can count on the vital safety net that jobless benefits and COBRA provide is absolutely crucial,” said Sen. Franken. “Folks are hurting right now and we need to be doing everything we can to relieve the burdens they’re under.”
The senators requested that unemployment insurance provisions from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act be extended through Dec. 31, 2010, including: the Emergency Unemployment Compensation program, full federal funding of the Extended Benefit Program, an increase of $25 per week in state and federal benefits, and the suspension of the federal income tax on an individual’s first $2,400 of unemployment benefits.
“Making sure that Minnesotans can count on the vital safety net that jobless benefits and COBRA provide is absolutely crucial,” said Sen. Franken. “Folks are hurting right now and we need to be doing everything we can to relieve the burdens they’re under.”
The senators requested that unemployment insurance provisions from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act be extended through Dec. 31, 2010, including: the Emergency Unemployment Compensation program, full federal funding of the Extended Benefit Program, an increase of $25 per week in state and federal benefits, and the suspension of the federal income tax on an individual’s first $2,400 of unemployment benefits.
An extension of the eligibility period for COBRA Premium Assistance Program benefits was also requested through December 31, 2010.
Last December, Sen. Franken fought successfully to extend both unemployment and COBRA benefits into 2010.
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