Bipartisan Unemployment Extension Deal Reached

[kpete]

Five Senate Democrats and five Republicans unveiled a deal on extending expired unemployment insurance benefits for five months, which should be enough to overcome a GOP filibuster and get the package out of the Senate later this month.

The proposal is paid for using a combination of offsets that includes extending “pension smoothing” provisions from the 2012 highway bill and extending customs user fees through 2024, according to a release.

The bill also includes an additional offset allowing single-employer pension plans to prepay their flat rate premiums to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.

The group led by Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Dean Heller, R-Nev., also includes Republicans Susan Collins of Maine, Rob Portman of Ohio, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mark S. Kirk of Illinois. Portman and Kirk had voted to filibuster an unemployment extension in February, with Democrats coming up one vote short.




MORE:
http://blogs.rollcall.com/wgdb/unemployment-insurance-extension-deal-announced/

[daleanime]

1. "pension smoothing"?

[yeoman6987]

2. Not to complain

but "get the package out of the Senate by the end of the month"? Sheesh folks are starving and have little money and they want to take 2 more weeks "just" to get it out of the Senate not mention it still has to go to the House. Am I to believe that they can't put together something over the weekend, vote Monday and send it to the House on Monday afternoon? Maybe I think it is easier than it is but I have seen them get through a bill in days if it is something they really care about.