There’s another plea to extend federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation. State Representative Cory Mason is among 45 Democratic lawmakers who are calling on Wisconsin’s Congressional Delegation to act quickly to extend critically needed unemployment benefits set to expire on December 29th. “For Wisconsin, with current and new claims for unemployment, there’s 40,000 people who would lose those unemployment insurance benefits, if Congress doesn’t act,” said Mason.
Mason said an extension of the federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation benefit could be folded into a compromise over “fiscal cliff,” if the issue is resolved before the end of the year. He hopes that’s not forgotten. “I hope as we’re debating the fiscal cliff, we’re not going to throw people off the cliff to try to reach an agreement.”
Mason, who represents Racine, noted that communities such as his are still dealing with double-digit unemployment, and many laid-off workers are relying on unemployment benefits to keep them afloat.
READ: Letter to Wisconsin congressional delegation