Employment Law: Bill Extending of Unemployment Benefits for Jobless Workers Signed into Law

July 22, 2010

Washington – President Barack Obama has signed legislation extending unemployment insurance benefits to nearly 2.5 million jobless workers. The President signed the law Thursday after the House passed it earlier and a day after the Senate did.

The new would extend unemployment insurance through November for out-of-work individuals who have not yet exhausted up to 99 weeks of assistance. The benefits would also be retroactive to late May, the time when the previous extension had expired.

Meanwhile, in California, the state Employment Development Department (EDD) has announced that it would begin processing retroactive benefits for more than 400, 000 unemployed individuals.

EDD chief deputy director Pam Harris said state workers will be on duty throughout the weekend to issue checks to eligible claimants.

"We understand how critical these benefits are to workers and their families who have suffered long bouts of unemployment in this recession," the official commented.