Among the bills passed in the House during the recent Silly Season was H.R. 6867, the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2008. (Not all bills passed in Silly Season are silly.)

The bill would provide seven additional weeks of unemployment checks to those who have exhausted their benefits. People in states where the unemployment rate is above 6 percent would be entitled to an additional 13 weeks above the 26 weeks of regular benefits.

It didn’t pass in the Senate, but Congress is likely to return after the election to do some more business, and it could take up the unemployment extension then.

A previous extension (cost: about $120 per U.S. family) was rolled into a supplemental spending bill this summer and passed into law. The current bill has no cost estimate yet.

So, whaddya say? Does the current economic climate mean that people down on their luck need a little more help? Or does the current economic climate mean that there’s no money for handouts?

Here’s the current vote on H.R. 6867, the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2008. Click to vote, comment, learn more, or edit the wiki article about the bill.