Project:Benefit Wiki - OpenCongress Wiki
Project:Benefit Wiki
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Latest news on bill progress
Latest news, the week of October 11th:
10/17/09 Saturday. -
I haven't updated this section for so long because this bill hasn't actually moved an inch since the last update. All week we watched in agony as several attempts were made to bring the bill up for discussion under a speedy process called "unanimous consent," which could limit time for debate and other processes, only to be blocked first by Senator Kyl, then by Senator Hatch, and then a filibuster on another bill on the floor was started by Senator Coburn, adding more waiting time to the process needed for our bill. While these are all Republican senators, many are also questioning why Senate leader Reid could not have introduced the bill earlier. Some of us on Open Congress have been trying to figure out the maze of Senate rules for ourselves, since calls to Senate office aides have resulted only in conflicting versions of the rules, as well as conflicting versions of exactly what the Republicans want to accomplish by blocking the bill.
So now we also have conflicting versions of when this bill will actually be brought up for debate, or be allowed by Senate intricate rules or Republican objections to come up for debate. Some say it can't be brought up til Tuesday afternoon. Others say Monday. Confusing news reports even say Thanksgiving! (But we think those are wrong.) But at least the news media are just beginning to bring this issue up, about how 7000 people per DAY are exhausting benefits and losing all means to provide food and shelter and utility expenses for their families. The effort now is to call not only the Senators, but also as many news outlets as we can, because this is an emergency and most of the public doesn't even seem to realize what kind of damage our Congress is doing by this delay.
10/9/09 midnight Fri. -
I guess I like Chinese puzzles. Since the amendments for HR 3548 that were proposed on Thursday can't officially be added to the bill until approved (hopefully Tuesday), we have access only to some rather convoluted language about how this amendment would amend this bill, which is in itself an amendment to the original EUC bill!
And a rather puzzling part was the section that still had "13 weeks" included, even though we all heard "14 weeks" on the news. So I made this homemade attempt to actually take the amended sections and insert them into House bill 3548 to see if it made any more sense, and even though it's STILL incredibly convoluted language, it does somehow make sense now, if in a bizarre way. If you also like Chinese puzzles, you can read my construction and notes here:
http://www.opencongress.org/wiki/User_talk:Nancym
If you'd like to just read the text of the amendment without the original HR 3548, you can go here:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/C?r111:./temp/~r111LMqmXQ
(If this last link fails, go to Thomas and search for S.AMDT.2668. http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d111query.html)
SUMMARY: This was posted by NoGoodOnesLeft (NGOL) recently. It's a good shorthand version of what to expect if this amendment SA2668 and bill HR3548 pass as now written:
NEW TIERS OF EUC:
Tier 2 - 14 weeks for everyone.
Tier 3 - 13 weeks for at or over 6.5% 3 month average.
Tier 4 - 6 weeks for at or over 8.5% 3 month average.
They added Limitation rules so if your state already got Tier 2 - you will get the one extra week from the new Tier 2 and then will trigger on to Tier 3 for 13 weeks and if your state is at or over 8.5% average, then trigger on to Tier 4 for 6 more weeks.
If your state hasn't got the old Tier 2 of 13 weeks yet - you will get the 14 weeks and if your state goes to or over 6.5% average you will trigger on to Tier 3 for 13 more weeks and then if your state goes to or over 8.5% average trigger on to Tier 4 for 6 more weeks.
Bottom line for individuals who have exhausted their benefits in a state under 8.5%: 14 weeks
Bottom line for individuals who have exhausted their benefits in a state over 8.5%: 14 weeks + 6 weeks
Select a state to see information for your area
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Citizen actions
- Call, email, fax, twitter, mail all governors, Senators and the President.
- Write letters to local newspaper regarding the need for unemployment support.
- Possible ideas if Senators and the President refuses to listen to us such as one term limit, etc.
Survival links (please see individual states for local info)
- Worried about your electricity being cut off? Check what protections you might have in the LIHEAP Clearinghouse, a state-by-state guide to disconnection policies: liheap.ncat.org/Disconnect/disconnect.htm
Here's what you can find on Benefit Wiki
- Information on regular unemployment benefits on a state-by-state basis
- Information on other available benefits and programs to help the unemployed get through this recession
- Tier 1 and Tier 2 Emergency Unemployment
- Updates on the latest legislation in Congress to extend or expand unemployment benefits
Find out how to participate or contact us at the Benefit Wiki community portal.
About/contact
The power of the fully sourced and operational wiki project comes from the citizens across the country researching, writing and fact-checking the information here. It is free, open-source, transparent in its editing standards and sourcing, and non-partisan. All information on Benefit Wiki is required to be referenced to an outside news source, and no partisan information is included.
The Benefit Wiki is coordinated by the OpenCongress team. We encourage you to make any additions or corrections via the "Edit" tab at the top of every project page (you'll need to log-in to edit; see the "Join OpenCongress" link in the top right to register for free).
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More background and individual contact information can be found on the Benefit Wiki community portal.
