A group of 31 U.S. Senators, including Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), are urging Congress to preserve federal unemployment insurance that is set to expire at the end of December.

A group of 31 U.S. Senators, including Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), are urging Congress to preserve federal unemployment insurance that is set to expire at the end of December.

The scheduled cut off will affect more than 1.3 million long-term unemployed workers who receive the benefits, according to a letter sent by the senators. Currently, the unemployed in Rhode Island can receive 26 weeks of benefits from their state and extended benefits from the federal government.

The temporary weekly benefits are paid to qualified workers who lose their job and are seeking work. The amount of that benefit is based in part on a worker's past earnings. In Rhode Island, the average weekly UI benefit amount is $354 and the Ocean State is among 43 states that offer 26 weeks of UI coverage, while 7 states offer fewer weeks.

The extended federal UI program was signed into law in June 2008 by President George W. Bush, when the national unemployment rate was 5.6% and the average duration of jobless insurance was 17.1 weeks. It has been reauthorized by Congress a number of times since then. (Journal Staff Report)

