THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
More than 98,000 out-of-work Ohioans are getting by without a weekly unemployment check as congressional leaders continue trying to muster the votes needed to pass another extension.
The workers exhausting benefits in June will be joined by an additional 83,000 who - barring action at the federal level - will drop off the rolls in July.
Without an extension, Maureen Compton's unemployment benefits will end Aug. 10, and she's "terrified."
"I could lose my house, my car and everything else," she said. "We are barely making it on (my husband's) income and my unemployment. Come Aug. 11, I'm not sure what we'll be facing."
The 48-year-old Worthington mother has been out of work for nine months and recently returned to school to earn a teaching degree.
Last night, for the third time in as many weeks, Senate Republicans successfully filibustered a bill to continue providing unemployment checks.
But this time, since the slimmed-down measure attracted two Republican votes, its passage seems assured next month once a replacement is in place for Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., who died Monday.
The extension has been bottled up for weeks in the Senate, with majority Democrats failing to pass it as part of a broader jobs bill amid concerns about increasing the deficit.
Immediately after the jobless-aid vote, the Senate cleared for President Barack Obama's signature a measure to give homebuyers an extra three months to finish qualifying for federal tax incentives that boosted home sales last spring.
Ohio Job and Family Services Director Douglas Lumpkin said he's telling his workers, and the local agencies and charities that assist those in need, to prepare for the worst.
The state is sending letters to the unemployed about three weeks before they are set to exhaust benefits, encouraging them to keep filing because previous extensions have been retroactive, and to contact their county agencies to learn about training programs and assistance such as food stamps, subsidized health care and emergency cash.
"People are at risk and what we're trying to do is make people aware and make sure our local systems are aware," Lumpkin said.
With the state's unemployment rate at 10.7 percent, 321,000 Ohioans currently collect unemployment.
The last federal extension ended in May. Until early June, eligible workers could receive up to 99 weeks of benefits - 26 weeks of state-funded unemployment and 73 weeks of extended benefits paid by the federal government, broken into five tiers.
Now, only 26 weeks of state benefits are available, and recipients exhaust aid when they finish their state benefits or come to the end of their federal tier.
Gov. Ted Strickland and other governors continue to lobby Congress for an extension.
"It seems so unreasonable to me that a handful of senators could keep thousands of unemployed workers from receiving these benefits that they so desperately need," Strickland said. "What do they expect these people to do?"
Asked if GOP gubernatorial candidate John Kasich supports an extension, his spokesman Rob Nichols said, "John believes that it needs to be extended.
"Given the current state of Ohio's economy, we're left without a lot of choices in the short term. We certainly need to fix this program, but, right now, people still need help," Nichols added.
Democratic Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy of Columbus said, "It's time to end the politics-as-usual approach in Washington that puts finger-pointing and scoring points in front of delivering real help to people who are out of work through no fault of their own."
But GOP Rep. Pat Tiberi said Republicans don't want to add to the federal deficit.
"When I was in high school, my family had to rely on unemployment after my dad lost his job, so I certainly understand how important that safety net is for struggling families," Tiberi said. "However, Congress has provided for up to 99 weeks of unemployment insurance, the most ever, and Americans are growing wary of our mounting debt."
Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said, "Congress should not adjourn for the July 4th holiday weekend without passing an extension of unemployment insurance. "
Sen. George V. Voinovich, R-Ohio, said he would vote for the extension if Democrats agree to partially offset the cost with unspent stimulus money.
Dispatch reporter Mark Niquette and Senior Editor Joe Hallett contributed to this story.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this story.
