Addiego, Lagana, Gopal Praise Congress for Reaching Deal on Stimulus Bill to Extend Federal Jobless Benefits

Sponsors of bill extending NJ state UI benefits, furlough program pledge to ensure ‘no one who needs help falls through the cracks’

TRENTON – Senators Dawn Addiego, Joe Lagana and Vin Gopal, whose bill to extend state Unemployment Insurance payments by eight weeks and continue job-sharing furlough programs passed the Legislature last week, issued the following statement praising Congress for reaching agreement on a new federal stimulus package:

“We commend Congress for reaching agreement this weekend on a new federal stimulus package that will provide extended federal unemployment benefits and a second round of direct payments to taxpayers and Payroll Protection Program loans for small businesses.

“As the prime sponsors of S-3283, which was passed unanimously by both the Senate and Assembly last Thursday, we are pleased that New Jerseyans who are still laid off through no fault of their own will get additional $300 federal Pandemic Unemployment Relief payments for 11 weeks through March 14 in addition to their state benefits.

“We look forward to working with the Administration to ensure that the legislation we passed to provide an eight-week extension of state UI benefits for those who could have exhausted their eligibility as early as this week is fully aligned with the new federal stimulus program to ensure that no one who needs help falls through the cracks.

‘Those who have been out of work for 10 months and counting because of the economic shutdowns caused by the pandemic should not have to choose between holiday gifts for their children and paying their rent or car payments or utility bills.

“We also need to ensure that our restaurants, Main Street shops and other small businesses can take advantage of our job-sharing furlough program to bring back laid-off workers on a part-time basis as we slowly come out of the economic crisis caused by the pandemic.”