Following the release of a new report about unemployment disproportionally affecting Florida and the Senate voting to begin consideration of a bipartisan three-month extension of unemployment insurance, Congresswoman Lois Frankel issued the following statement.

“The Senate took an important first step toward reinstating this vital economic lifeline, which is especially critical since some Floridians are being hit even harder than other out-of-work Americans” Frankel said. “Passage of this bipartisan legislation is critical to help folks who are out of work pay the bills and feed their families as they look for a job.” 

A Florida International University research report unveiled Monday found that in Florida many unemployed workers are struggling as emergency unemployment insurance has lapsed due to Congress’ failure to act and because of technical flaws with Florida’s new online filing system.

On December 28, 1.3 million Americans lost federal emergency unemployment insurance, including 73,000 Floridians, when the program expired, and that number will grow with an additional 3,600-plus Floridians at risk of losing benefits every week in the first half of 2014. According to Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity, more than 14,000 unemployed workers in Broward and Palm Beach Counties lost federal emergency unemployment benefits over the holidays.

Extending unemployment insurance is an investment in our economy. Economists agree that for every dollar spent on unemployment it yields $1.52 in economic growth. Estimates show that renewing unemployment insurance could produce as many as 300,000 jobs, according to a non-partisan Congressional Budget Office analysis.

Last week alone, the lapse in unemployment coverage drained $400 million out of state economies a House Ways & Means analysis found.

In more than 50 years, Congress has never cut off emergency unemployment insurance to jobless Americans looking for work.

“This is an emergency! Too many of our friends and neighbors are desperate. Congress must act without delay and pass an extension of unemployment insurance,” Frankel said

On Monday, Congresswoman Frankel and Congressman Deutch held a press conference calling on Congress to extend unemployment insurance.

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