Alabama Could Be Approved for Another 13 Weeks of Unemployment Benefits

Washington – (AP) - The House has voted to provide another 13
weeks of unemployment benefits to workers in those states hardest
hit by the prolonged economic downturn.
The Washington Democrat who sponsored the bill, Rep. Jim
McDermott, says it could help more than 300,000 jobless workers
expected to lose their unemployment compensation by the end of
September.
The legislation, if also approved by the Senate, could also
prevent more than 1 million in danger of exhausting their benefits
by the end of the year.
The length of unemployment benefits is already at a record
level, reaching up to 79 weeks in states with high unemployment.
McDermott's bill extends benefits in the 27 states where the
unemployment rate is 8.5 percent or higher.