[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 22500]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   STATEMENT REGARDING VOTE ON H.R. 3548, UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION 
                         EXTENSION ACT OF 2009

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 23, 2009

  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I voted for the Unemployment 
Compensation Extension Act (H.R. 3548), legislation that will provide 
an additional 13 weeks of extended benefits to individuals in states 
with unemployment above a three-month average of 8.5 percent. Because 
so many Americans have lost their once steady job and are struggling to 
find work and make ends meet during these difficult economic times, I 
feel that extending unemployment benefits is a necessity.
  I was disappointed, however, that this legislation only included an 
extension of benefits for 29 states by setting an 8.5 percent state 
unemployment rate as the threshold for those eligible under this bill. 
In Virginia, where unemployment stands at 6.5 percent for the month of 
August, those out of work who have exhausted their benefits will not be 
covered.
  Families across the country are struggling to pay their mortgage, to 
pay for health care expenses. They have depleted their savings and are 
hanging on by a thread. Those out of work in Virginia aren't struggling 
any less than those in Ohio, Michigan, or California, where the 
statewide unemployment rates are higher. I believe that this is an 
issue of fairness that needs to be corrected.
  To reach out to those who are looking for work in Virginia's 10th 
Congressional District, which includes some areas that reached an 
unemployment rate of 8 percent this summer, I am sponsoring a job fair 
in Frederick County in October. I held a similar event in Loudoun 
County in May and more than 70 employers attended to meet with more 
than 3,500 jobseekers.
  People across the country are hurting and Virginia is no exception. 
While I believe voting for the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act 
will help many who have felt the brunt of the recession, I remain 
disappointed that unemployed Virginians were left behind. This measure 
should be amended to help all those across the country, rather than 
using an arbitrary threshold to determine who is most deserving.

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