Kevin Rader to Charlie Crist: Support Revised Date for Unemployment Benefits Extension

Leaders of organized labor, including the head of the Florida AFL-CIO, held a media event Friday, calling for the special session of the Legislature to tackle revising state statutes on unemployment extension. They said they had not yet found a sponsor but that members of the Legislature were behind them.

While they may not have found a sponsor to change the cut-off date from June 5, the labor leaders call for action received support Monday from Rep. Kevin Rader, D-Delray Beach, who is running for state Senate. Rader sent a letter to Gov. Charlie Crist, urging him to support the revised date, so Florida can partake in the expansion of federal unemployment benefits that is expected to be approved in Washington later this week.

Florida now stands to miss out on approximately $290 million of federal funds that could be going straight into our states economy, wrote Rader.