Sen. Warner Statement on Bipartisan Senate Vote to Extend Unemployment Benefits

Statement

U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner released the following statement after the U.S. Senate voted today on a bipartisan proposal to extend unemployment insurance benefits for five months. The bipartisan compromise will restore benefits that expired in December 2013.

"I strongly urge members of the House to come to the table to find a bipartisan solution so we can get this temporary assistance into the hands of Virginia job seekers. The Senate legislation is responsible and bipartisan, and it provides a lifeline to thousands of Virginians who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own and need this temporary assistance to make ends meet while they continue looking for work."

The Senate's unemployment insurance extension bill was attached to Sen. Warner's legislation ensuring that volunteer firefighters and other first responders are exempt from The Affordable Care Act's employer mandate, allowing volunteer personnel to continue protecting communities that rely on them. Sen. Warner's Protect Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act, which had 33 bipartisan cosponsors, amends the Affordable Care Act to make it clear that volunteer emergency service workers who receive nominal pay are not required to be counted as full-time equivalent employees (FTEs) for purposes of healthcare coverage.

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