Jobless-Benefits Bill Passes in Senate

Capping a three-month struggle, the Senate Monday passed legislation to restore jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed that expired late last year.

Following approval of the measure, the bill advances to a hostile reception in the House, where majority Republicans generally oppose it.

The bill was the first major piece of legislation that Democrats sent to the floor of the Senate when Congress convened early in the year, the linchpin of a broader campaign-season agenda meant to showcase concern for men and women who are doing poorly in an era of economic disparity between rich and poor.

In the months since, the Democrats have alternately pummeled Republicans for holding up passage and made concessions in an effort to gain support from enough GOP lawmakers to overcome a filibuster. Chief among those concessions was an agreement to pay the $9.6 billion cost of the five-month bill by making offsetting spending cuts elsewhere in the budget.

The White House-backed measure would retroactively restore benefits that were cut off in late December, and maintain them through the end of May. Officials say as many as 2.7 million jobless workers have been denied assistance since the law expired late last year. If renewed, the aid would total about $256 weekly, and in most cases go to men and women who have been off the job for longer than six months.

In the run-up to the vote, Sen. Dan Coats (R-Ind.) criticized Majority Leader Harry Reid for not allowing votes on GOP-drafted proposals to amend the measure, calling that refusal a “black mark” in the Senate’s history.

Sens. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Dean Heller (R-Nev)., the bill’s leading supporters, said they were willing to consider changes in hopes of securing passage in a highly reluctant House.

Heller also said he was seeking a meeting with Republican House Speaker John Boehner to discuss the measure.

Whatever the bill’s fate in the House, Senate Democrats have taken steps to follow their action with a test vote on a bill to strengthen “equal pay for equal work” laws. That measure includes a provision giving women the right to seek punitive damages in lawsuits in which they allege pay discrimination, a change that Republicans call a gift to trial lawyers who contribute extensively to Democratic campaigns.

Next up in the Democratic attempt to gain ground during the election year will be a proposal to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. It is currently $7.25 an hour.

This article appeared in print on page 3 of the April 8th, 2014 edition of Hamodia.