Emergency funds awarded for workers affected by oil spill

SOUTH MISSISSIPPI — Senators Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker reports the award of a $5-million federal grant to Mississippi to provide employment assistance for workers who are laid off because of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

The National Emergency Grant was approved by the U.S. Department of Labor to allow the State of Mississippi to provide employment-related assistance to workers who lose their jobs as a result of the oil spill.

The Labor Department indicated that about 300 workers in Mississippi are projected to be affected by the ongoing crisis in the Gulf of Mexico.

The grant will be applied to George, Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Pearl River and Stone counties. The Mississippi Department of Employment Security will use the federal assistance to provide employment services and long-term training aid to help laid off workers become reemployed.