Unemployment Benefits could have been made available to more Texas workers during the 2009 legislative session. But Republican Governor Rick Perry vowed to veto any expansion of benefits funded with half a billion federal stimulus dollars, despite the relief it offered to businesses in the form of lower unemployment insurance taxes. In a time of economic crisis, Perry turned down funds that would have helped hard working Texans who lost their jobs, and his political gambit has forced thousands of small businesses to pay higher taxes.

We believe eligibility for unemployment compensation must be extended so individuals laid off by the recession who are honestly seeking work do not lose their homes, their health care, or their dignity because they cannot find jobs.