Perlmutter Calls for More Help for Colorado’s Unemployed

Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (CO-07) voted against a bill that extended unemployment benefits to workers in 27 states – but not to workers in Colorado .

“The good news for Colorado is our unemployment rates are improving and are lower than many states in the country. The bad news is there are still thousands of Coloradans out of work, and this bill does not help them,” said Perlmutter. “Colorado employers and workers contribute to funding unemployment benefits, but this bill will not help one single Coloradan.”

Perlmutter stated, “Here in Colorado , putting all of the people back to work who lost their jobs is going to take more time. Thousands of jobs are being created as a result of investments in the 7th Congressional District and our state from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. We need to fill the gap, but this legislation does not fulfill this important purpose for Coloradans and people from 22 other states.”

As passed by the House of Representatives, HR 3548 only provides an extension of benefits to states with a three-month average total unemployment rate (TUR) of 8.5 percent. The most recent statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate the state’s unemployment rate is at 7.3%.