On the recordJanuary 13, 2014
I rise in support of the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act. I am pleased a 3-month extension of unemployment insurance for millions in Minnesota and across the country was able to clear its first hurdle in the Senate, but our work of course is not finished. I urge my colleagues in the House and the Senate to pass an extension to renew these critical benefits so hard-pressed families in Minnesota and across our Nation can keep their heads above water while they search for work. As I have traveled around Minnesota, I have heard from a lot of Minnesotans who wish to work. On Friday I had a roundtable conference. There were three women and some workforce professionals. These women are looking hard and have been looking. They are part of the long-term unemployed. These are women who were working: one is in her forties with two kids--one little kid, a 3-year-old child, a single mom; one was in her fifties; and one was about my age, in her early sixties. While they are looking for jobs--and we had a professional there who said one of the hardest jobs is looking for a job. They need the unemployment insurance to stay in their homes and to put food on the table for their families. In the wake of the worst recession since the Great Depression, too many people had good jobs and worked their entire lives--all of these women who had worked their entire lives had 20-, 30-, and 40-year careers and now they are out of work and remain out of work.…
