Civil and Human Rights Coalition Urges Congress to Extend Jobless Benefits through End of Year

With more than six million long-term unemployed workers facing the cutoff of vital benefits by June 2, The Leadership Conference and its more than 200 member organizations are urging Congress to pass an extension of jobless benefits through the end of the year.

In a letter to members of the House of Representatives, The Leadership Conference called for passage of H.R. 4213, the Promoting American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010, to ensure “funding for essential services for the most vulnerable Americans, while also boosting economic activity and creating jobs.”

In addition to providing emergency unemployment benefits through the end of the year, the bill would extend a critical subsidy for COBRA health insurance benefits and shore up funding to states under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Emergency Fund, which is expected to provide at least 185,000 jobs to low-income families through September 30, 2010. Failure to extend these measures could leave thousands of families without health insurance coverage and put thousands more out of work.

The bill would also secure additional funding for the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) measure that is providing economic relief to states facing increased demands for Medicaid services.

A vote on the bill is expected as early as May 20.

To learn more about the Promoting American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010, see the Half in Ten campaign’s “Primer on Job Creation and Relief for American Families“

For more on the budget implications of passing the Promoting American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010, listen to a podcast with Melissa Boteach, manager of Half in Ten at the Center for American Progress Action Fund.