Delegate Bob Hull

Source: Falls Church News-Press
Thursday, April 16, 2009

U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly led an entourage of fellow Democratic state legislators, including Del. Bob Hull of Falls Church, at a rally in Alexandria Monday to "declare outrage"at the vote by Virginia's House Republicans last week to reject $125 million in federal stimulus funds for enhanced unemployment benefits for out-of-work Virginians.

To qualify for the stimulus funding, Gov. Tim Kaine called for amending Virginia unemployment insurance law at last week's so-called "Veto Session" of the legislature in Richmond. It would expand coverage to include unemployed workers looking for part-time jobs and state-approved job training courses. But House Republicans led the opposition to the proposal, and it fell in the House of Delegates, 53-46, despite all Democrats voting for it. With Virginia's unemployment trust fund depleted, "accepting the funds would have kept the trust fund solvent for several more months and saved employers from higher taxes," Hull said. "It would have been good for business as well as persons unemployed through no fault of their own." In some areas of rural Virginia, the unemployment rate has soared above 12 percent.