Extended benefits may help Utahns

SALT LAKE CITY — Eugene Onyema knows what it's like to be out of work and out of government compensation — and he will be happy if Congress approves an extension of emergency unemployment benefits.

Senators voted 60-40 Tuesday to break a Republican filibuster and move ahead on the benefits extension.

Senate Democrats broke the filibuster by the single vote of a new West Virginia senator sworn in only moments earlier. Utah's two Republican senators, Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett, both voted against breaking the filibuster.

After a final Senate vote Wednesday, the House is expected to approve the legislation and send it to President Barack Obama later this week.

The recovery from the nation's long and deep recession has produced relatively few new jobs so far, and millions of people's unemployment benefits began running out seven weeks ago as Congress bogged down in an impasse over whether the $34 billion cost of a fresh extension of benefits should be paid for with budget cuts or be added to the $13 trillion national debt.

If adopted, the bill could affect as many as 12,650 jobless Utahns who have filed for unemployment compensation payments.

Onyema, who formerly worked in the mortgage industry, said he has been out of work for a year and had been receiving unemployment compensation, but that stopped on June 5 when the last unemployment extension program expired.

Job-hunting has been fruitless, and his situation has become dire.

"I have two children, I'm a single parent and I'm nearly homeless," he said.

Onyema on Tuesday was hurrying to be on time for an appointment at a Department of Workforce Services office to determine if he would be eligible once again for unemployment compensation. He also was eager to learn about retraining to enter a new line of work.

"I hope people in my situation can get help — even if I don't get any," he said, shifting a huge packet of paperwork in his arms. "I know what I'm going through, and I'm sure other people are going through the same thing."

Ginger Senteno, who also was heading for an appointment with Workforce Services on Tuesday, said she has never applied for unemployment compensation. She left a job voluntarily to move out of state but ended up returning to Utah.