State Senate Passes Bills for Benefits Extension

March 19, 2009

Sacramento, California - A legislation that involves money from President Obama's economic stimulus package was passed last Thursday by the state Senate on a 38-0 vote.

This bill targets to extend the benefits to the unemployed by at least 20 weeks and would allow the state to draw up to $3 billion in stimulus money.

However, one Republican lawmaker requested to have an easier disqualification system to guard against abuse but the house majority voted to have it considered on a later date.

A second bill, updating the current unemployment insurance program was also passed as it was needed for California to receive additional money from the federal government’s stimulus package.

With the bill, an employee’s recent earnings will now be considered in deciding program eligibility; this move will assist more than 30,000, most of them seasonal, workers statewide. The bill also allows employers and employees to participate in hearings over the phone.

California’s Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said in a statement that:

"The most important thing we can do right now to help our economy and the day-to-day lives of Californians is to make sure those who are unemployed have the cash to pay their bills and feed their families,"

The state legislature also passed bills that will allow California to take advantage of more than $10 billion for health care, $2.6 billion for road and highway projects and $443 million for wastewater treatment programs and drinking water.

These bills were immediately passed Thursday and the whole package, containing five bills, is waiting to be signed by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The governor, in a statement, “applauds the Legislature for working across the aisle and as quickly as possible to pass this needed legislation that will help boost our economy, provide critical services for Californians, create jobs and put people back to work.”