[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 16]
[House]
[Page 22283]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

  Mr. KIRK. Mr. Speaker, during the vote on H.R. 3548, the Unemployment 
Compensation Extension Act of 2009, I was unavoidably detained--had I 
been present I would have voted for this legislation.
  Americans are struggling to make ends meet in this economy. 
Retirement savings are disappearing, families have seen their 
portfolios drop, and according to the Illinois Department of Employment 
Security, the unemployment rate in Illinois is at 10 percent--.3 
percent higher than the national average has been in 26 years.
  I support giving unemployment benefits to people who lost their jobs. 
In tough economic times, the federal government should offer additional 
assistance and H.R. 3548 does that by extending unemployment benefits 
for an additional 13 weeks for individuals living in States with 
unemployment rates above 8.5 percent.

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