[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 16]
[House]
[Page 22245]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION EXTENSION ACT

  (Ms. BERKLEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, today the House will consider the 
Unemployment Compensation Extension Act. The legislation would extend 
unemployment benefits by up to 13 weeks for over 300,000 jobless 
workers who reside in high unemployment States and that are projected 
to run out of unemployment compensation by the end of September. This 
bill will serve as a lifeline, aiding those who are still struggling to 
find work in Las Vegas and other parts of Nevada.
  The once recession-proof economy of my district of Las Vegas has not 
been spared from the effects of this downturn. In fact, Nevada has been 
hit harder than any other State by the foreclosure crisis, and our 
unemployment rate has skyrocketed to over 13 percent, the second 
highest in the Nation. This legislation will bring much-needed relief 
to many jobless Nevadans.
  It is absolutely critical that Congress step up and pass this 
federally funded extension of unemployment benefits. I support the bill 
we are considering today because it will help hardworking Nevadans get 
by until the situation improves--and it will--and they can return to 
work.

                          ____________________