Reid, labor secretary discuss $25.6M for state’s jobless

Monday, June 8, 2009 | 1:49 p.m.

State gets $25.7 million in stimulus funds (6-5-09)

The Labor Department formally announced today that Nevada will get $25.6 million in stimulus dollars toward unemployment benefits.

The state also will get $34.1 million toward a number of social programs, including $5.5 million for administrative costs of funding unemployment insurance, $14.3 million for dislocated workers and $3.4 million for state employment programs.

“This is not only beneficial for workers, but it’s good for the state’s economic recovery,” Labor Secretary Hilda Solis said in a midday conference call with reporters.

Nevada has an unemployment rate of 10.6 percent, more than a point higher than the national average, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the unemployed need more money during an economic downturn some have labeled The Great Recession.

“People won’t be putting it in their savings accounts,” he said. “They’ll be spending it because they’re broke.”

Under the $787 billion stimulus bill signed by President Barack Obama in mid-February, Nevada will get at least $1.5 billion. Thus far, Nevada has received less than $300 million.

Discussion: 2 comments so far…

By boftx

6/8/09 at 2:32 p.m.

Suggest removal

Do the math! Get rid of every illegal immigrant here and there would be 0% unemployment. You might even see some real collective bargaining take place. But as always, the only way that Reid and the other Democrats know to solve a problem is to throw money at it and tell everyone to lay back and enjoy it.

Bread and circuses, people, bread and circuses.
By neiman1

6/8/09 at 3:55 p.m.

Suggest removal

This is not news. This is a campaign piece for harry. They discussed the stimulus money that has already passed. What is with the SUN, at least mark it "free advertising" when you run this, don't make it look like news.