Senate Reaches Bipartisan Agreement to Renew Unemployment Insurance
Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced a bipartisan agreement to renew unemployment insurance for five months that will give immediate relief to millions of Americans who lost unemployment insurance since December 28, 2013. Schatz has been a vocal advocate of the need to restore unemployment insurance, voting earlier this year to advance legislation to extend benefits for three months. The bipartisan agreement is paid for and the lead sponsor of the legislation, Senator Jack Reed (D- R.I.), has said he has the 60 votes needed to pass the agreement through the Senate.
“For thousands of families in Hawai‘i, and millions more across the country, unemployment insurance is a vital lifeline that families need to put food on the table. Reaching a bipartisan agreement was not easy, and it should not have taken this long. But it is a major breakthrough that we were finally able to get Republicans on board to support renewing unemployment benefits,” said U.S. Senator Brian Schatz. “The Senate and House need to move quickly to pass this important legislation that will give families immediate relief and spur growth in our economy.”
There are more than 60,000 unemployed people in the State of Hawai‘i. About 7,700 people have been affected by the expiration of the federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation program. The bill will allow for retroactive payments to eligible beneficiaries going back to December 28th.
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