Brown calls for extended unemployment benefits through December
Times Bulletin – With the end of the month quickly approaching, suddenly a large number of Ohioans may be watching C-Span.
According to the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services, about 432,000 Ohioans are unemployed and approximately 200,000 of those will lose their benefits if they are not extended by February 28. On Monday, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) called for an extension of benefits that would last through the end of this year.
"Too many middle class families are struggling to get by," Brown said. "This legislation will help Ohioans and all Americans who worked hard and played by the rules but are still struggling to find jobs. We must extend unemployment insurance while passing critical jobs legislation that will give incentives to businesses that hire unemployed workers."
Brown's plan calls for full federal funding of the Extended Benefit program, adding $25 per week to benefits, and voiding federal income taxes on the first $2,400 of unemployment benefits. All of this is in addition to the extension until the end of the year. He did not offer a total cost on the program that would run into the tens of billions of dollars but the extra $25 per week by itself would cost nearly half a billion dollars in Ohio alone.
