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CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES |
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| (Washington D.C.) - Puerto Rico’s Resident Commissioner, Luis Fortuño, today anticipated the approval by the U.S. House of Representatives of legislation that would extend unemployment benefits for 26 additional weeks. As a result of this measure, known as the “Emergency Unemployment Benefit Extension Act of 2008,” unemployed workers in Puerto Rico could receive unemployment benefits for a total of 52 weeks, instead of the 26-week period currently established by law. “This initiative represents a substantial relief for the thousands of Puerto Rican workers that have lost their jobs during the economic crisis currently affecting our Island, because it will not only help their pockets, but provide them with additional time to find a job,” said Fortuño. The legislation adds 13 additional weeks of unemployment benefits to the 26-week period already established by law. Unemployed workers in Puerto Rico will be eligible for an additional 13-week extension, for a total of 52 weeks, because the Island has been designated as a high unemployment zone, for areas with greater than a 6% unemployment rate. Even though the legislation will bring relief to thousands of unemployed workers in Puerto Rico who have lost their jobs during the economic crisis that has intensified during the last three years, Fortuño said that it is unfortunate that Puerto Rico was designated as a high unemployment zone with only five other jurisdictions at the national level. “The inclusion of Puerto Rico as a high unemployment zone reflects the lack of capacity of the Governor’s administration to manage the Island and establish effective economic initiatives to jumpstart the economy and create new jobs and retain existing jobs,” the Resident Commissioner said. According to the most recent statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor, Alaska, California, Washington DC, Michigan, Rhode Island and Puerto Rico qualify as high unemployment zones. As of June 8, 2008, the unemployment rate was 10.5% in Puerto Rico; 7.1% in Michigan; and 6% in California, Washington D.C., and Rhode Island. (####) |
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