How Are Unemployment Extensions Enacted

Unemployment extensions are sometimes offered by governments when the economy is facing an extended downturn. In order to enact unemployment extension, the government must determine that the unemployment down turn is above the normal period of time or is more severe than normal. Typically the extended unemployment benefits will only be expanded for a particular period of time in order to prevent the government from having to provide these unemployment benefits indefinitely.

Normally, an unemployment extension of benefits will be offered with restrictions, and only individuals who were already collecting unemployment benefits, or who were collecting unemployment benefits as of or starting from a specific date will be ruled to be eligible to collect that particular set of unemployment extensions.

Unemployment extension is usually accomplished through the action of the United States Congress. The bill to provide for extended unemployment benefits requires the consent of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The bill typically starts in the House of Representatives because the Constitution of the United States of America assigned responsibility for the Federal budget to the House.