Also: Albany budget deadlock causes lawmakers to miss paychecks.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., speaks with reporters after the Senate cleared a hurdle Tuesday to restore unemployment benefits to millions of Americans who have been out of work for more than six months. The Senate approved a final measure on Wednesday. Still, tens of thousands in New York won't get extra unemployment checks because of the state's lower unemployment rate.From the New York Post:
Tens of thousands of New Yorkers are being cheated out of extra unemployment checks under the jobless-benefits extension moving through Congress, state officials charged yesterday.
The $34 billion bill doles out 99 weeks of benefits to states with unemployment rates above 8.5 percent, but gives just 93 weeks to the rest -- including New York, where the latest three-month average is 8.3 percent.
"This action by the feds will impact 90,000 New Yorkers by the end of the year who would otherwise have gotten 99 weeks," said state Department of Labor spokesman Leo Rosales.
The bill passed the Senate last night by a vote of 59-39. It now heads to the House for a vote this week and will be sent to President Obama for his signature next week.
» Read the full story, 'Robbing' jobless: 90,000 NYers lose out on benefits bill [New York Post]
» More on the bill: Senate approves measure to restore lapsed jobless payments to millions [The Associated Press]
In other state news:
» Albany budget deadlock means legislators go without paychecks [The New York Times]
» Governor sets stage to recall Legislature [Albany Times-Union]
» Sherr-una Booker, woman at center of Gov. Paterson scandal, seeking charges against David Johnson [New York Daily News]