On Friday, November 6, President Barack Obama signed into law The Worker, Homeownership and Business Assistance Act of 2009, formerly The Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2009.  As a result, according to opencongress.org, unemployed citizens of almost all states will be eligible for extended unemployment benefits for 14 weeks after their original unemployment benefits are exhausted, and citizens of states with an unemployment rate at or above 8.5 percent--such as North Carolina--can receive an extra six weeks of benefits after those 14 weeks of benefits are exhausted. Funded by stimulus dollars, the law extends the Emergency Unemployment Compensation of 2008 through December 31, adding potential third and fourth tiers of benefits. The federal extensions of unemployment benefits bring the total number of weeks in which a North Carolinian could potentially receive unemployment benefits to 99, which is the maximum number of weeks.