The U.S. House of Representatives passed a large defense spending bill that included an amendment that would extend federal unemployment insurance benefits even beyond the bill passed a few weeks ago and contains other provisions that may help in this bad economy. The Detroit Free Press reports:

The $636-billion defense bill passed by the House includes several provisions that could help jobless Michiganders, among them a measure that extends from nine to 15 months the period the federal government will pick up 65% of the cost of continuing COBRA health care coverage for the unemployed. It also moves a Dec. 31 deadline for losing your health insurance to qualify for the payments to Feb. 28 of next year.

The legislation also extends enhanced unemployment benefits through the end of February. Last month, Congress approved legislation adding 14 weeks of unemployment benefits for anyone whose other benefits run out by the end of this year but the provision in the defense budget means a person whose benefits run out by Feb. 28, 2010, qualify for the additional coverage – as well as six more weeks in high unemployment states like Michigan.

The Senate should take up this bill in the next couple weeks. There is also talk of a much longer six-month unemployment extension being passed later this year.