Friday, May 23, 2003

House unemployment 26 week benefit extension does not include Utah The US House of Representatives voted to extend jobless benefits for 13 weeks for workers exhausting state benefits this year. 43% of unemployment insurance recipients in the US have exhausted their state benefits, the highest level on record. The bill provides an additional extension of 13 weeks for high unemployment states Alaska, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington. Utah is not included in this additional extension. Utah is 18th in the nation in unemployment, with a rate of 5.8% as of March. [BLS Unemployment Statistics] 12:24:48 PM