Update: This entry has been updated to reflect that the bill was signed into law.

Late Thursday night, President Obama signed into law legislation that provides another temporary extension of emergency unemployment insurance (UI) benefits and the 65% premium COBRA subsidy, both of which lapsed over the recent legislative recess.  Hours earlier, the Senate voted 59-38 to pass the Continuing Extension Act of 2010 (H.R. 4851) with an amendment (S. Amt. 3721) (pdf) in the nature of a substitute bill introduced by Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), which will extend UI benefits through June 2, 2010, and premium COBRA assistance through May 31, 2010. The original bill – which cleared the House by voice vote on March 17 but stalled in the Senate over how the measure would be paid for – provided for extensions of these benefit programs through May 5 and April 30, respectively.  Shortly after Thursday's Senate vote, the House approved the bill by a 289-112 margin. 

The additional time is needed, according to lawmakers, because longer UI and premium COBRA extensions – which are included in the Tax Extender Act of 2009 (H.R. 4213) – are unlikely to be finalized before the end of the month. The Senate passed this bill in March, but will need to reconcile its terms with the House-approved measure and voted on again before it can be signed into law.

On Wednesday, the Continuing Extension Act cleared a crucial Senate procedural hurdle when Democrats were able to defeat a point of order that would have required that the cost of the bill be completely offset. A vote earlier in the day failed when Sen. Patrick Leahy (I-VT) was in Vermont for a funeral. Thursday’s vote was made possible because three Republican senators – George Voinovich (R-OH), Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Susan Collins (R-ME) – joined 56 Democrats in approving the bill.

Photo credit: MBPHOTO, INC.