benefits

For immediate release: Sept. 4, 2009

Contact:
Kathy White, Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute, 720-252-9607
Lorena Garcia, 9to5, 303-819-2370
Joe Watt, The Bell Policy Center, 303-297-0456

Thousands of Colorado families exhausting jobless benefits
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Bell Policy Center, Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute
and 9to5 Colorado urge Congress to extend program
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Stimulus benefits providing major boost to Colorado's economy

By Allison Sherry
The Denver Post

Out-of-work Coloradans eligible for a 20-week extension in unemployment benefits will have to wait until the end of August to get paid, even though a new law providing those benefits took effect July 1, state officials said Tuesday.

By August, between 5,000 and 6,000 people will be due money, said Steve Fowler, director of unemployment insurance at the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.

Those who qualify for the extension will get payments retroactive to July 1.

Email to supporters: In the depths of one of the worst economic downturns in our history, unemployed Coloradans will receive a major boost through legislation that modernizes, reforms and strengthens Colorado's Unemployment Insurance System. By adopting Senate Bill 247, Colorado is positioned to receive more than $127 million in federal stimulus funds.

Rich Jones quoted in article: Dawn Duval waited more than a month after getting laid off to apply for unemployment so she could receive the maximum amount possible. State Senate Bill 247 would change Colorado's unemployment insurance system so people like Duval wouldn't have to wait so long and could apply for benefits the day they become jobless.

This bill represents a net opportunity gain for Colorado. It will expand the number of Colorado workers who qualify for unemploy-ment benefits, many of whom who are low-income. By making these changes, Colorado will receive $127 million in federal funds to bolster the UI Trust Fund.

HB 06-1327 represents a net opportunity gain for Colorado. It allows workers to count their more recent earnings when qualifying for unemployment benefits.

Newspapers around the state report on the Bell Policy Center's 2006 issue briefs, "State and local taxes paid in Colorado by undocumented immigrants" and "Costs of federally mandated services to undocumented immigrants in Colorado."

Bell Policy Center President Wade Buchanan says a proposed ballot initiative that would bar undocumented immigrants from receiving government services fails to solve any real problems.