SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber has signed two bills extending unemployment benefits for thousands of people looking for jobs.
Kitzhaber signed the bills on Thursday, a day after they were approved in the state House.
One bill allows unemployed workers to continue drawing on federally funded extended benefits, which kick in when people exhaust their regular unemployment benefits. They last for up to 20 weeks. State officials estimate the measure will affect 50,000 people through the end of the year.
The other bill provides an additional six weeks of state-funded unemployment for people who have exhausted all 99 weeks of federal benefits.
