We noted yesterday that leaders in the U.S. Senate starting building support for a standalone piece of legislation to extend the filing deadline for emergency unemployment benefits through November. A Senate Democratic leadership aide even told the Washington Independent that Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is working with members of the Republican caucus and hopes to move the $33 billion bill this week. But any reauthorization also requires the blessing of the House, which tried and failed today to muster the two-thirds majority needed to advance a companion bill (H.R. 5618).

How did the Illinois bloc vote? Illinois GOP Reps. Judy Biggert, Peter Roskam, John Shimkus and Democrat Melissa Bean all voted against the measure. Republicans Tim Johnson and Don Manzullo joined the rest of the Democratic delegation in support. (Reps. Mark Kirk, Bobby Rush, and Aaron Schock missed the roll call.) Here's a statement from Bean spokesperson Jonathan Lipman explaining her opposition:

“Congresswoman Bean supports a responsible expansion of unemployment to those who haven’t been eligible for the full benefit. However, the text of the bill was not made public before the vote and no legislative language was available on the floor despite the Congresswoman’s requests,  and she was uncomfortable with voting to approve a $34 billion bill without first seeing what she was voting on.”

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Sander Levin (D-MI) said House Dems would call the same bill tomorrow under regular procedures requiring a simple majority for passage.  Hopefully, Bean will get access to the legislative language before that vote.