Syracuse (WSYR-TV) – This Your Stories Q&A deals with the waiting game for all the unemployed who've almost exhausted their 26 weeks of benefits.
They're waiting for -- and wondering about -- an emergency, 13-week extension.
We got that question in an e-mail from Marcia, but it could easily have come from any one of thousands of central New Yorkers unemployed and nearing the end of their current 26 weeks of benefits.
There is federal legislation that would extend those benefits by another 13 weeks, but only half of Congress has approved that legislation.
The House has passed the bill that would tack on the extra 13 weeks of emergency unemployment benefits, but Democrats and Republicans can't get it together in the Senate.
Senate Democrats moved twice last week to pass the bill; Republicans, pushing back against other economic recovery programs from the administration, blocked the legislation.
We checked in Tuesday with the office of one of our two U.S. senators. Kirsten Gillibrand says she and other Democrats will try again this week to extend the jobless pay, but until the Senate acts and the president signs the bill, keep claiming your weekly benefits in the usual way.
Stay with 9wsyr.com and the state labor department's website for the very latest.
If you've got a question, call the Your Stories line at 446-9900, or e-mail yourstories@9wsyr.com.
