Washington, D.C. – Representative Heath Shuler joined with a majority of the House Tuesday night to vote to extend unemployment benefits by up to 13 weeks for jobless workers in North Carolina and 12 other high-unemployment states.
The extension would apply to more than 300,000 Americans whose unemployment benefits will run out by the end of September and an additional million whose benefits expire by the end of the year. The bill does not add to the federal deficit because the benefits are paid for by extending a pre-existing small federal unemployment tax on employers.
“While the economy has started to improve, unemployment remains too high in many parts of Western North Carolina,” said Rep. Shuler, D-Waynesville. “Because of factory closings or businesses cutting back, many in Western North Carolina struggle to find work, and we need to continue to help them until they can get back on their feet.”
North Carolina was one of 13 states in the high-unemployment list, which also included South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia. North Carolina’s unemployment rate stood at 11.1 percent in July, according to the Employment Security Commission of North Carolina, and the rate was higher in many western parts of the state.
| County | July unemployment rate |
| Buncombe | 8.8 |
| Cherokee | 15.1 |
| Clay | 11.5 |
| Graham | 14.0 |
| Haywood | 9.5 |
| Henderson | 9.2 |
| Jackson | 8.3 |
| McDowell | 14.8 |
| Macon | 9.7 |
| Madison | 9.5 |
| Polk | 9.0 |
| Swain | 9.7 |
| Transylvania | 9.0 |
| Yancey | 11.7 |
Source: Employment Security Commission of North Carolina
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