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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. John T. Galloway |
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Galloway votes to extend unemployment benefits
Continues work championing the needs of Pennsylvania workers
HARRISBURG, Aug. 3 – A bill co-sponsored by state Rep. John Galloway, D-Bucks, that will immediately help some 25,000 people who have exhausted their unemployment benefits is heading to the governor.
The House of Representatives today passed H.B. 1770 that taps federal stimulus dollars to extend benefits by seven more weeks for a total of 79 weeks.
"Unemployment benefits provide a safety net while those who are out of work continue looking for a job," Galloway said. "Finding work has become increasingly difficult in this economy, so it is more important than ever to provide as much assistance as possible to our unemployed residents."
Galloway noted that according to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, Bucks County's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for May was 9.1 percent; and at the end of July 780 residents had exhausted their unemployment benefits.
House Bill 1770, sponsored by state Rep. Marc Gergely, D-Allegheny, would make a temporary change to the Unemployment Compensation Expanded Benefits law to allow the state to tap nearly $145 million in federal stimulus funding.
The average weekly unemployment payment in the state is $305, regardless of family size. This translates to $15,860 per year, a figure that is $6,190 below the federal poverty guideline for a family of four. Pennsylvania has lost nearly 180,000 jobs since the nationwide recession began in December 2007.
The governor is expected to sign the bill.
Galloway has long been a champion for the Pennsylvania worker. He has introduced H.Bs. 1502 and 1503 that would reduce the number of illegal workers in Pennsylvania by requiring contractors to verify the employment eligibility of their employees.
Galloway also co-sponsored Act 2 of 2009 that makes COBRA health-insurance coverage available to Pennsylvania businesses with fewer than 20 employees. He also co-sponsored Act 102 that prohibits hospitals and other health-care facilities from forcing nurses and other direct patient care workers to work overtime.
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