(WASHINGTON, DC) – Congressman Dennis Moore (Third District-KS) today called on his colleagues in Congress to extend unemployment benefits for the 4.6 million dislocated workers before the House adjourns for the session in the coming weeks. Under current law, unemployment benefits would expire December 31, when Congress is in recess, so both the House and the Senate must act now.

Moore added his signature to a discharge petition to allow immediate consideration of H.R. 3244. The bill would extend the federal benefits program for an additional six months, increase the amount of benefits to 26 weeks, include coverage for roughly one million workers who have already exhausted their extended benefits, and expand unemployment insurance coverage for low-wage and part-time workers.

“People in the Third District are suffering because of the closure of TeleTech and the layoffs at Sprint,” Moore said. “Laid off workers are having a difficult time finding a job – and it is taking longer than ever before.”

Moore noted that while there are some positive economic indicators nationwide, there are still too many people without jobs. Hundreds of thousands of newly-unemployed workers nationwide are filing for unemployment benefits every week. Only one out of four will be able to find a job before their benefits expire and manufacturing jobs continue to drop.

“People who need unemployment are not asking for a handout,” Moore said. “They need a helping hand to assist them through their time of personal crisis. They were taxpayers before and they will be taxpayers again as soon as they find a job. But they need to be able to survive until they find that next paycheck.”

If the discharge petition receives 218 signatures, the House of Representatives will consider the measure immediately. A discharge petition is the main mechanism to force a House vote on legislation that has been bottled up in committee.