If Rep. Joe Carr (R-48) gets his way, thousands of unemployed Rutherford County residents will not get an extension of their unemployment benefits in some of the hardest times many have ever experienced in Middle Tennessee. Rep. Carr is sponsoring a bill to reject the stimulus funds. The extension of unemployment benefits is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Today’s Daily News Journal reports that Tennessee will also receive over $30 million to retrain dislocated or low-income workers through the ARRA. You can learn more about what the ARRA federal stimulus is funding here in Tennessee.

“The training, particularly in emerging occupations, that will be provided with these Recovery Act funds will help prepare unemployed Tennesseans for new jobs at a time when that’s more important than ever,” Bredesen said.

The funding is anticipated to increase participation of the dislocated worker program by more than 1,300, which is 40 percent, over the number of individuals who received training services last year.

Adult services are expected to increase by approximately 2,000 slots, or 20 percent, over last year.

“Being out of work is especially difficult in this economic environment,” Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development James Neeley said. “Many laid-off workers and adults haven’t had to worry about updating their skills for years, and this Recovery Act funding provides an opportunity to do just that.”

The Rutherford County Republican Party took to the streets by the hundreds April 15 to protest this much needed help after eight long years of failed economic policy, unprecedented government expansion and out of control spending that resulted in a recession.

Republicans also protested the millions of dollars to be spent on Rutherford County and Murfreesboro schools as well as enhanced benefits for Rutherford County veterans.