There's some good news for the unemployed coming out of Washington today. By a 270-153 margin, the U.S. House passed a bill to extend the filing deadline for emergency unemployment benefits through November -- just two days after the same measure stalled on procedural grounds. Rep. Melissa Bean, who voted no Tuesday, joined the Democratic majority this time around. GOP U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kirk voted against the measure, along with Republican Reps. Judy Biggert, Peter Roskam, Aaron Schock, and John Shimkus.

Now the Senate needs to vote on the bill as well.  But since Republicans in the upper chamber were able to filibuster a similar bill late Wednesday evening (thanks in part to the death of former Sen. Robert Byrd), bill can't receive another vote until at least the week of July 12, when Congress returns to Washington after a one-week Independence Day break. The Department of Labor estimates (PDF) that 2.1 million Americans will exhaust their benefits by the end of the recess.

Here's a statement from Illinois' own Rep. Phil Hare on the delay:

“It is truly outrageous that the Senate has adjourned for the July 4th recess without passing an extension of unemployment insurance. The House has passed this extension time and time again, only to be met with obstruction from the Senate. In late May, the Senate passed an over $30 billion emergency appropriation for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our unemployed workers—including 80,000 in Illinois who lost benefits just last week—are facing their own emergency. If Congress can find the money for these wars, it can afford to provide struggling Americans this modest assistance during a recession. The Senate should interrupt their recess to come back and approve this bill.”