In December, close to 500 workers were laid off because of a lack of funding to keep the centers open, including the one in Altoona.

“People are being put in a hard time. They can’t pay their bills, they can’t pay their mortgage, they can’t feed their kids. People get desperate. It’s a shame. All over nothing when we could be doing our jobs and helping these people,” said Dann McDermott, a former employee at the Altoona Unemployment Office.

The proposed bill, which passed the Senate, would allow up to $15 million to be put into a fund to be used for improvements, in hopes of reopening the call centers.

However, the proposed funding is only temporary and would end in December.