Have we started to crawl out from the depths of the national recession? A few data points released over the last 24 hours offer some humble, but encouraging, news. The first comes from the Federal Reserve, which has found that the net worth of American households jumped between April and July, the first quarterly boost in almost two years. And in the Land of Lincoln, the state's unemployment rate actually fell in August, marking the first dip in 14 months. Here's our updated graph showing the national and Illinois rate since the beginning of 2007:

Of course, there are plenty of caveats. First, Illinois payroll declined by 19,200 jobs last month. Companies aren't expanding quite yet; they just aren't cutting as deeply. And while manufacturing gained 2,100 jobs, most were connected to the "Cash for Clunkers" program, which wrapped up in late August. In short, we still have a long row to hoe before unemployment drops from its highest levels in a quarter-century.

Congressional leaders realize this, which is why the House is expected to vote on an unemployment benefits extension bill (either H.R. 3404 or H.R. 3548) sometime next week. CQ Politics has the scoop:

The House is expected to take up an unemployment benefits bill next week that would extend the available safety net for jobless workers in states hit hardest by the recession.

The measure sponsored by Rep. Jim McDermott , D-Wash., would allow 13 extra weeks of benefits for workers in states where the unemployment rate has surpassed 8.5 percent. That would come on top of the emergency extensions approved in last year’s supplemental spending bill and this year’s stimulus.

CNN explains how the bill would be financed here. With governors from across the country and clouted leaders in the Senate expressing support for the measure, it has a good chance of passing in the coming weeks. We will keep you all updated.