Unemployed workers in Hawai'i may now get up to 73 weeks of jobless benefits because of additional federal aid made available under the Worker, Homeownership and Business Assistance Act of 2009.

The bill made available an additional 14 weeks of unemployment payments to out of work individuals, adding on to the 59 weeks the jobless could qualify for here.

The additional benefits are being paid for by the federal government and would deplete the state's dwindling unemployment trust fund.