IL Extended Federal Unemployment Insurance Ending

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The Illinois Department of Employment Security says a federal program that provided unemployment insurance beyond the state's initial 25-week coverage expires Dec. 29. Congress extended the Emergency Unemployment Compensation program earlier this year, but the extension included a provision to end the program later this month. It has provided long-term unemployed people with benefits for 20 weeks beyond the state program financed by Illinois businesses.

The program had been in effect under both President Barack Obama and President George Bush in response to high unemployment driven by the recent economic slowdown.