HARRISBURG — Gov. Ed Rendell plans to sign a bill that gives seven more weeks of unemployment benefits to many jobless Pennsylvanians.

The resumption of checks to about 20,000 who have already exhausted more than a year of state and federal benefit checks should start almost immediately, Rendell said Monday. He was expected to sign the bill today, Rendell spokesman Ken Snyder said.

The bill was passed unanimously by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives earlier Monday. The Senate passed it last week after amending it ensure it covered people who exhausted their benefits before the bill becomes law.

Up to 60,000 workers in Pennsylvania who will have depleted the first 72 weeks of unemployment benefits by Dec. 31 would be eligible for the extra seven weeks of checks.

The state's maximum unemployment compensation payout, including $25 from the federal economic stimulus package, is $583 per week.