Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid hopes to push the 50 state 14 week extension of unemployment benefits through the Senate by unanimous consent this week, but has not said whether he can find floor time for the bill of a Republican Senator blocks the unanimous consent request. The Senate bill also gives a further 6 weeks of benefits to the jobless in states which have averaged over 8.5% unemployment for the last three months.
The House has already passed a 13 week benefit extension, and conference committee negotiations could quickly resolve the differences between the two bills, making it possible for the measure to be in the Oval Office for signature before Hallowe'en. Without unanimous consent on the Senate floor, though, Thanksgiving looks more like the holiday of choice for a bill signing.
The House has already passed a 13 week benefit extension, and conference committee negotiations could quickly resolve the differences between the two bills, making it possible for the measure to be in the Oval Office for signature before Hallowe'en. Without unanimous consent on the Senate floor, though, Thanksgiving looks more like the holiday of choice for a bill signing.
