The House Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday approved an extension of unemployment benefits, as House Democrats began to shape a new package of measures to aid struggling workers and stimulate the economy.

The committee approved the bill by a 23-13 vote, mostly but not exclusively along party lines, after rejecting 13-24 a Republican alternative that would have narrowed the bill.

The legislation is expected to be a key element of a second economic stimulus package that congressional Democrats plan to move in the coming weeks, possibly as part of the fiscal 2008 war supplemental funding bill.

Under the Democratic measure, residents of most states would get an additional 13 weeks of unemployment benefits, on top of the 26 weeks already authorized under law. Residents of states with unemployment rates at or above 6 percent would get an additional 13 weeks beyond that, totaling one year of benefits.

The Republican alternative, offered by Jerry Weller , R-Ill., would limit any extension to states with high unemployment rates.

Weller’s amendment would target the extended benefits to states with an above-average unemployment rate (currently 5.1 percent or more), experienced a 20 percent rise in unemployment rates in the past year, or are a “high unemployment state” under the definitions in the base bill.

Many Democrats wanted to add extended unemployment benefits to the economic stimulus package enacted in February. Economists say such benefits get into the hands of taxpayers quickly and are spent in ways that pump up the economy.

But Republicans argue that overall unemployment rates are still relatively low in historical terms, and say such a broad extension is unnecessary now.

First posted April 16, 2008 1:43 p.m.