NELP CALLS FOR RENEWAL OF FEDERAL UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE THROUGH 2012

The NELP report finds that in January 2012 alone, 1.8 million workers in need of federal aid will be cut off if Congress fails to act. This includes nearly 1.4 million unemployed workers already receiving federal unemployment insurance, as well as more than 430,000 unemployed workers laid off as recently as July who will exhaust their state unemployment benefits in January. Without these expiring federal programs—called Emergency Unemployment Compensation and Extended Benefits—newly unemployed workers in many states will only be able to access, at most, 26 weeks of benefits through state unemployment insurance programs.
California, Florida, New York, Texas, and New Jersey top the list of states facing premature cut‐offs, according to the report’s state‐by‐state breakdowns.