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Tennessee Unemployment Benefits Extension – 20 More Weeks?

Update – Feb 7, 2011 – Legislation to add extra weeks for 99ers

Democratic Reps. Barbara Lee (Calif.) and Bobby Scott (Va.) are reintroducing legislation this week to provide additional weeks of unemployment insurance benefits for “99ers,”

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Part of Obama’s 2009 stimulus package was extra funding for states to extend the length of unemployment benefits if necessary.  Most states have a fixed number of weeks available for benefits but can increase the number of weeks if the economic climate is bad enough.  This is usually measured by the unemployment rate.

The unemployment rate in Tennesse was 9.9% for April 2009 which is up from 6.0% in April of last year.  This is the highest unemployment rate in 25 years.  Tennesse has qualified for $141 million to pay for extended benefits as well as upgrades to the benefit infrastructure.

What unemployment benefits are available now?

Currently Tennessee will pay benefits for 26 weeks which is the normal payout period.  There is another 33 weeks which is available because of the 2009 stimulus package for a total of 59 weeks.


Unemployed workers can get up to $275 per week in benefits plus a bonus $25 a week from the federal government for a total of $300 per week.

Will the unemployment benefits be extended by another 20 weeks?

[edit – please note that this bill has been passed]

Currently there is a bill called HB 2324 which if passed will increase benefits by up to 20 weeks.  If the claimant has any children the bill will also add on $15 per week per child up to 3 kids.  This bill has not been made law yet but you can check on the status of the bill here.  At the moment (May 22) it says that it is scheduled for the Finance, Means and Ways committe for May 27.  This bill was first introduced on Feb 26 so it is taking a long time.

Once the bill is passed by the FMW committee then it will go to the house and senate and lastly the governor.

There is a very good chance that unemployment benefits will be extended by 20 weeks however the slow machine of politics means that it might take a while.

693 replies on “Tennessee Unemployment Benefits Extension – 20 More Weeks?”

Sorry, I posted this earlier and thought it was posted, but it is awaiting moderation, I think because I used the word BS. So here is my earlier post:

Well, this is just wonderful, the bill has been placed “Behind the Budget,” meaning they are on hold until after the state budget for the coming year has been approved. And this is the last week before legislators go on break. So, this was all just a farce to “try and show us that they were doing something.” Trying to look around the internet, there is still a small chance that it may be looked at, but don’t count on it. Hope they enjoy their break, while we survive day by day!

http://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/default.aspx?BillNumber=HB2156&GA=107

well it looks as if i have my great-grandmothers wedding ring for sell…i need fuel and diapers,,,,,,also i see an eviction notice coming on the 5th…i also have a honda 250 dirtbike (2004) for $1200,,,,,,,,hit me up…you guys enjoy that vacation,,,get nice and tanned,,,while we shiver in despair

‘”after officials didn’t adjust Tennessee law to comply with new federal standards.”

“It would free up almost $60 million federal dollars to cover those who lost jobs in the private sector. But municipalities would have to pick up the tab for any public employees laid off; the tab could approach $2.8 million.”

we got cut off because tennessee didnt comply with the LAW=why=because they didnt want to fork out the $2.8 million for their own workers they canned…this shows just how much they care about public workers, citizens of TN…….i filled out 2000+ applications, 24,000 miles on my car, and my 2 and 3 year old children have LOST weight lately…we will be living somewhere on the streets…………..

You are EXACTLY right mad in hixson,tn! We send an UNGODLY amount of money over seas while our own people can’t get a measley 275.00 unemployment check.
We that are unemployed (through no fault of our own) are also talked about like we are nothing.

were are talking about billions here…..makes me sick man……its not a proud day to be American,,,lost=building a car with my boy, camping, im tooooooo sick to type,,,sorry

Well, know the bill has been placed on the calendar for the finance sub-committee for the 5/19(today) in the house and the Senate finance ways and means committee for today.

Who knows what in the heck they are doing.

That’ all I’m going to say, I’m not going to give false hope or bash hope, everything I read yesterday, if it was put “behind the budget,” that meant either it was dead or was being delayed indefinitely. Know, it goes from behind the budget to put on the calendar for today in just over 12 hours. So, I don’t know what in the heck they are doing.

Politics is meant to be confusing

Dwayne

TN unemployment is up to 9.6% and the National is up to 9%. Where are the jobs??

Dwayne

“On June 11, approximately 45,000 unemployed Pennsylvanians who currently qualify for federal extended benefits will be dropped from the unemployment rolls unless we slightly modify the state law,” State Sen. John Gordner (R) said in a statement. “It costs the state NO MONEY to qualify for these fully funded federal benefits through the end of the year, and results in an estimated $150 million in economic benefits.

Now i ask myself=why is going to cost TN 2.8M and Pennsylvania nada…….things that make you go hmmmmmm..

Well the last time I took a guess I was wrong, but it still has to be approved by the Finance, Ways and Means Committee, be put on the Legislative calendar, be voted on in both the house and senate, IF it passes, it still has to be signed by the Gov.
Just a guess, it won’t be till after they come back from break, but, the fact that the unemployment rate went up, may have some scared into rushing. The Gov has shown opposition to this bill in the past.

I truly am afraid to say, if rushed and everybody is onboard and they work on Sat, I guess it is possible, but that is a lot of If’s

Dwayne

well, it looks as if were screwed….i like how he states=we are at 79, this will put it over two years…..79 + 20=99…this guy does not even know how to count but yet is able to dictate our lifes……..if they would have just complied with the law=3 year lookback….but they didnt,,.,28,000 and counting going hungry because they dont want too pay the 2.8M on the public workers they let go===so bacically=fuck the teachers, firemen, police, and the citizens of TN…they lay you off and let you die..
http://timesfreepress.com/news/2011/may/19/ramsey-senate-republicans-balk-extended-unemployme/?news

PRIME EXAMPLE of what I am running into. There is a key word in this job posting lets see who can find it!?! I think there is a word for this called discrimination!

**Company Confidential** We are a locally owned and operated company within the Knoxville area, providing professional emergency services for 35+ years. We are seeking a young, energetic, dedicated, self motivated individual to help us continue our repetitive annual growth as a company. We have 26 competitors in the local market, so the ability to win business from competitors, the ability to thrive off competition, and strong background in face to face sales…

we are seek young=?…i lived in CA los angeles for 30,,,,i would get calls back asking if i knew spanish…what a joke…my kids would come home from school with form to be filled out and it would be in spanish only, or the scholl would call with info in spanish only….thats why i moved……………..2034 students and only 4 were of another race,,,4

wrong, there are 10 states that have higher unemployment rates than TN. So maybe things could be worse. We could live in Nevada, rate 12+%. I wonder if based on population would make any difference?

mad in hixson, yea, I read them. Like I’m finding out though, we won’t actually know until it’s over, channel 4 news reported yesterday, that the house was close to a deal with the Gov on the bill, so we have conflicting stories. As fast as everything is moving, plus the emotions running so high, along with unemployment going up and with the end of the school year, will go up again, when all the new graduates enter the market, Who knows?? Stranger things have happened. And like I posted earlier, everything I read said when a bill is placed “behind the budget,” it is either dead or delayed indefinitely, and the very next day, it come out from behind the budget in both houses. We won’t know until they actually go on break.

Dwayne

Attention all citizens of Mexico= if you make it across the desert, USA will welcome you with open arms..Please enroll your Spanish speaking children into school= don’t worry ok, we have gone out of our way to make books, all school signs, pamphlets in Spanish only..So sorry for the English parents that wont be able to read it,maybe the neighbor can help translate. Don’t forget to apply for welfare and WIC, there will be social workers that know Spanish to help..Please notify your husbands that Home Depot has built shelters in the parking lots to keep you dry while you stand (loiter) there waiting for work…Also one more thing= we have made it illegal to ask you for proper ID and ask if your a resident of America…So for all your landscaping, handyman, construction needs, while you defraud the government by not paying wages by law= just stop by any Home Depot and pick up a nice, dry, and willing foreigner for $3 an hour…Life is grand..

I just noticed something that I missed in the bill that I linked to above, they may have just changed it, but there were no amendments as of yesterday, now they are three, one house amendment and two senate amendments. Not going to speculate, but, if the senate is making amendments, it has at least been discussed. Hmmmmm. Not going to speculate though, just pointing out a difference. Link again, click on the amendments tab:

http://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/default.aspx?BillNumber=HB2156&GA=107

Dwayne

thanks for all your insight D….your a true TN tropper…times are tough for all of us, frustraion has excedded its limits= thanks for all your effort reguardless of the outcome…from one man to another=thanks

No problem. Latest update and this is so screwed up, they are taking this down to the wire, which makes me think it is a big political ploy. It passed the Senate Finance, Way, and Means Committee tonight 7-2, and has been recommended to the Senate Calender. The schedule is showing that the Senate will be in session at 8:30AM Sat, but it does not show an agenda. Just saying how it could go, not that I see it happening, but, if and it is a big if,(but it wasn’t supposed to make it out of the Senate committee either), it makes it on the calender for tomorrow, and if it passes in the current form, which means no new amendments and it passes, it then becomes engrossed, enrolled, signed by both speakers and to the Gov.

That’s a lot left to be done in one day, we’ll see. Don’t get your hopes up.

http://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/default.aspx?BillNumber=HB2156&GA=107

Dwayne

It seems the main Senator that doesn’t want the Extended Benefits is Ron Ramsey. He claims Tennessee can’t afford the 3 million dollar cost. If you ask me, Tennessee can’t afford to lose the 60 million dollars it would get for the program that would be spent here in Tennessee.

3M for the pubic workers they refuse to pay unemployment for…damn=not even the police and the fire dept mean anything to the state of TN./././././

But, here’s something I found out earlier, one of the amendments in the Senate, will change the basic state unemployment from 26 weeks to 23 weeks, starting 01/01/2012. That is supposed to be able to cover the state cost for the EB. I don’t want to say anything to raise anyone’s hope’s, but watching the video for the senate discussion earlier today, I believe it was Ramsey that said he was going to have to run the latest amendments past the administration. Now, the bill has cleared the house, the Senate has three amendments to the bill, one from the house that makes the bill retro to 12/2010, and two other amendments the earlier one and then another one that changes the quarters that can qualify one for benefits. If it is paid for, I don’t understand why they would vote against it. Plus channel 4 reported two days ago, that the house was close to a deal with the Gov. I think this whole thing has been political maneuvering, to get some other bills through, then when they passed, squeak this one through. I could be wrong, it’s happened before, but It’s went farther than Ramsey said it was, he first said, it would never make it out of committee, which it did Friday. We’ll see, don’t get your hopes up, anything could happen, but it looks better than it did.

Dwayne

This is the Senate video I am talking about, you may have to download a program to watch it, I did, but if you watch the last SB2114 and you have to listen closely, you can hear someone say I’ll have to run that by the administration, then they convened the committee to the Senate floor. Later on Friday evening, they posted the bill had been placed on the calender for a vote on 5/21/2011:

http://tnga.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=196&clip_id=4326&meta_id=84833

If you scroll up and watch the earlier SB2114, they talk about the amendment that would pay for the EB.

Dwayne

I absolutely do not understand any of this! Are they going to pay EB? I don’t understand the amendment’s. Sounds like they have cut some people out? I am on my 3rd week of tier 4 i think? Trying to figure out how this is going to effect me. Can someone help?

whats up with this ramsey fellow? has no emotional feeling for human kind=pewter heart……i see the buget passed with flying colors trailing ribbons= im just wordering if that 2.8M was included……dwayne=thanks again……this is more stressful than waiting for someone to get out of surgery…..whats the next step?

The bill is #59 on today’s Senate schedule. They supposedly went into session at 10:00AM. Still waiting.

knoxtn, here is what the 1st amendment covers:

“Section 50-7-301 includes a benefit table which establishes that an individual must have a minimum of $780.01 in the average wages paid in the highest two quarters of the base period of the claim in order to qualify for the minimum weekly benefit amount of $30 payable under the statute. Base period is defined in section 50-7-218 as follows:

“Base period” means the first four (4) of the last five (5) completed calendar quarters immediately preceding the first day of an individual’s benefit year; provided, that if the first quarter of the last five (5) completed calendar quarters was included in the base period applicable to any individual’s previous benefit year, such individual’s base period shall be the last four (4) completed calendar quarters.”

It changes two quarters to 4 quarters. as far as the table used, I’m not sure, but it looks like it could be addressing part time work maybe?? You have to have an average of $780.01 for the 4 quarters of employment.

The second amendment, just addresses the basic state unemployment time. When a person first goes on unemployment, the STATE pays 26 weeks currently. This amendment, start in 01/01/2012, would change the basic to 23 weeks. That is what is going to pay for the extension, the money saved next year paying the unemployed. Sounds like their hoping the unemployment rate will go down this year.

The 3rd amendment, I believe, and I’m not 100% sure, but makes all these changes retro to Dec 2010. I really don’t understand why Dec, unless it just has something to do with 1 year before the program is scheduled to stop. Federal approval of Tier1-EB, is supposed to expire at the end of 2011.

I’m no political expert, nor an unemployment expert, some of the above info could be wrong, because I’m having to research as I go. That’s why I’ve tried to say, I’m not trying to get anyone’s hopes up, all I am doing is keeping a play by play information posted on the bill’s status. If it is approved, I’m not real sure what the amendments will change, the original change only addressed the 2 yr lookback rule with the 3 yr lookback.

Hope that helps, and I am on pins and needles like everyone else. I was 4 weeks into EB, when they cut it. I’m not even sure if it will be the original 20 wks or just 13 weeks now. That’s why they speak “lawyerees” in these bills

Dwayne

It passed the Senate. Before anyone gets their hopes up, lets wait till the end of the day to see if there are any surprises associated with it. It still has to be approved or Vetoed by the Gov., or he could change the funding of it. He could allow it to sit on his desk for 10 days without action. If it does, at the end of the 10 days it’s law.

Like I said above, I’m not real sure what all is covered or if it is really retro or not, but, at least it’s made it through the Legislature, hopefully. Like I said, let’s wait till the end of the day, to see what else is posted about the bill.

http://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/default.aspx?BillNumber=SB2114&GA=107

Dwayne

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee General Assembly has passed the state’s $30.78 billion annual spending plan and it’s now headed to the governor for his signature.

The Senate voted 32-0 Saturday to approve the House version that passed 96-0 the day before.

The proposal includes $71 million for disaster relief from recent storms and flooding and funds to draw down more than $60 million in federal money to extend unemployment benefits.

Benefits ran out in April for about 28,000 people in Tennessee after state officials didn’t adjust state law to comply with new federal standards. The extension would pay for up to 20 more weeks of unemployment benefits.

A balanced state spending plan is the only legislation that the General Assembly is required to pass each year under the state constitution.

Hello, ive been following the bill, by the link dewayne posted, and its passed, with retro payments…..thank goodness…now maybe we can get caught up on some bills!

You know, I’m not looking a gift horse in the mouth and I’m so glad that this has been approved and hats off to all the Legislators, who have made this possible. But the one thing that burns me to my core, is the way this has been covered or not covered in the media, really chaps me. IT’S NEVER BEEN ABOUT THE FUNDING!!!!!! The money for the 20 weeks was already there! It was ALL about one little sentence in the TN code that dealt with the 2 yr lookback. I was 4 weeks into EB when this happened, and looking at my account, it told me how much I had left in the “account.” Nowhere did it say, “you only have XXXXX amount left, because TN is running out of funds.”

The way the media in TN has covered this, has made it sound like we are getting an additional 20 weeks over what was already approved, and I really don’t understand that, because most of the media is left leaning in this state, and the Unemployed has been one of the platforms that the left ran on. Not making this political, because, in the end, even after the political maneuvering, the politicians, so far, have came through for us. But the media coverage has not. Just goes to show you how knowledgeable journalist are on the subjects they cover. I didn’t know anything about the 2 yr lookback rule when this whole thing started, but, I educated myself, and I’m unemployed. Seems like the journalist who make a lot better salaries than I do, could take the time to find out about what they are reporting.

Still, I’m glad the way this is turning out. Don’t want to sound unappreciative, just want to be better informed.

Dwayne

dwayne= i also educated myself about this dire subject…alas, i was chaped about the 3 year lookback,,,,,what a shame they could not follow the color of the law…..why should one state differ than another when we are ALL US citizens……much appreciated is the post you have done=thanks

After watching the video of the Senate passing the bill, a little update. The two amendments that were attached to the Senate bill that addressed the paying for it(2 quarter to 4 quarters and 26 weeks to 23 weeks in 2012) were dropped. Had they not been dropped by Senator Norris, the bill would have had to gone back to the house again for approval. The 1 amendment from the House(making it retro to 12/2010) was adopted by the Senate. So basically, what happens in this case, is the Senate sends their bill to the dead file and adopts the House bill for passage with one amendment, which they did. From Senator Norris explanation, they may take up the 26 to 23 weeks again, when they next Senate re-convenes in 2012. So, the House Bill is what passed and it is retro. Now to the Gov, which two of the Senator’s thanked for considering this, sounded like he will sign.

Dwayne

Is John P. still on this site from TN UI? Forgot how to spell his last name..

one more question= is it retro and since its in the budget, do we have to wait to july 1= thats when the budget starts?????????

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