Millions of dollars are at stake, as hundreds of thousands of jobless Ohioans wait to see whether Congress votes to extend unemployment compensation benefits. The deadline is February 27th. In an interview with Ohio Public Radio's Bill Cohen, Bruce Madson of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, explains what the fall-out would be, if congress fails to vote an extension.
In better economic times, jobless benefits often run only 13 or 26 weeks. But Madson says that it's been so hard for laid-off workers to find NEW jobs in THIS recession, Congress has felt obligated to extend benefits longer. That way, he says, the benefits help to keep consumers' buying power up and keep the economy from sinking still deeper.
Click LISTEN icon to hear Cohen's interview with Bruce Madson