WASHINGTON — Sens. Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman joined eight other senators Thursday to agree on a $9.7 billion measure that will extend unemployment benefits for as many as 52,000 people in Ohio whose long-term benefits expired at the end of December.
The compromise, which ends a bitter impasse between Democrats and Republicans and should lead to Senate passage of the bill later this month, will extend emergency unemployment benefits for five months to 1.3 million Americans who had exhausted their regular and emergency benefits.
The average weekly benefit in Ohio is $318 with the maximum weekly benefit being $413. If Congress wins approval, retroactive benefits will be paid to people who lost their benefits on December 28. An additional 1.9 million people across the country would lose their benefits in June without congressional action.
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