FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  February 16, 2006
CONTACT: Shannon Jones, 202-518-8047/Maurice Emsellem. 510-663-5700

Senate Takes First Step to Extend Benefits for the
Gulf Coast Families Left Jobless by Hurricane Katrina

Starting in March, 165,000 Gulf Coast Workers Will Reach the End
of Their Limited Jobless Benefits According to New NELP Analyses

WASHINGTON DC –  Last night, the U.S. Senate unanimously agreed to extend jobless benefits for about 47,000 Gulf Coast families whose 26 weeks of disaster assistance are set to expire on March 4th.  The measure provides an extra 13 weeks of disaster unemployment assistance (DUA), the federal program that covers the self-employed and others who do not qualify for regular state unemployment benefits.

“Thanks to the bi-partisan leadership of Senators Lieberman and Collins, the Senate has taken a critical first step to prevent thousands of families left jobless by the storms from also being left entirely destitute when their jobless benefits end in March,” says Maurice Emsellem, NELP’s Policy Director.  “But much more needs to be done to help not just the 47,000 Katrina families covered by this bill, but thousands more who will also reach the end of their state jobless benefits and those who were unemployed as a result of Hurricane Rita,” concluded Mr. Emsellem.

As documented by two new NELP analyses, over 165,000 workers who lost their jobs due to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita will reach the end of their state and federal jobless benefits in March unless Congress acts to extend their limited assistance.  That includes 93,000 families left jobless by Hurricane Katrina who will reach the end of the state jobless benefits on March 11th, and 25,000 workers unemployed by Hurricane Rita will be left with no additional assistance come March 25th.

Of special significance, the Senate’s measure also fails to increase the especially limited amount of federal assistance, which averages just $100 a week in Louisiana despite the overwhelming rise in housing and living expenses and the end of FEMA’s hotel voucher program this week.  In contrast, the House of Representative’s committee with jurisdiction over the program passed a bi-partisan measure which would increase the minimum benefit to $135 a week, while also providing up to 26 weeks of extra benefits and covering 20,000 Texas families and others left jobless by Hurricane Rita.  “Now that the Senate has acted, the House of Representatives should immediately do the same, and adopt their committee’s bill which helps fill the major gaps in the federal disaster unemployment assistance program,” says Mr. Emsellem.  

NELP’s new analyses document the numbers of people from Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas whose jobless benefits are set to expire in March. It addition, NELP provides new state comparisons documenting the especially limited amount of regular state unemployment benefits available to Louisiana’s still-struggling evacuees, now ranking second lowest in the nation behind Alabama. Another new analysis looks at major developments in Louisiana, where over 160,000 workers stopped collecting jobless benefits in one week when the state instituted new reporting rules on workers which overwhelmed the state’s unemployment system.

The NELP analyses are available on-line at www.nelp.org or by linking to the following:
-“New Limits on Jobless Benefits in Louisiana After Hurricane Katrina: Over 100,000 Louisiana Workers Reach End of the Benefits in March” available on-line at:
http://www.nelp.org/docUploads/LA%2DAnalysis%2Epdf
-“The End of the Road for the Gulf Coast Families Left Jobless By the Hurricanes Unless Congress Extends & Increases Jobless Benefits By March” available on-line at:
http://www.nelp.org/docUploads/KatrinaExtension%2Epdf
 
###