Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that expands unemployment benefits to include individuals enrolled in a job-training program or had to leave employment for a "compelling family reason."

Highlights:

-Specifies that a "compelling family reason" includes (Sec. 1):

-Domestic violence; -The illness or disability of a member of the individual's immediate family; or -The need for an individual to accompany his or her spouse to a place from which it is impractical to commute or due to a change in location of the spouse's employment.

-Defines an "immediate family member" as an individual's spouse, parents, and children under the age of 18 (Sec. 1). -Authorizes an additional 26 weeks of unemployment benefits for an individual who has exhausted all eligibility for federal and state unemployment benefits, but who is currently enrolled in a job-training program (Sec. 1). -This is a substitute bill sponsored by the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor.

Full Bill Text