The state Department of Labor and Training is poised to contact thousands of Rhode Islanders who may be eligible for extended unemployment benefits under a bill approved by the Congress Thursday that President Obama is planning to sign Friday.

“If you’re eligible, we’re going to be contacting them,” said Laura Hart, spokeswoman for the department. “Once this gets signed by the president, we’re going to move very quickly.”

The measure cleared the House 403 to 12 Thursday, a day after it won unanimous support in the Senate.

The federal bill adds 20 weeks of eligibility for unemployment benefits, qualifying some Rhode Islanders for up to 99 weeks of benefits while they are actively seeking a new job, Hart said.

Rhode Island currently has about 14,000 people collecting under the basic 26-week program and another 16,000 collecting under various state and federal extended-benefit programs, Hart said. Another 4,000 have exhausted their benefits, she said, adding that some of those who have already exhausted their benefits may be eligible to collect under the extension passed by Congress.

The bill allows the maximum extension in states with unemployment rates of 8.5 percent or above. For September, the most recent month for which tallies are available, Rhode Island ranked third nationally with an unemployment rate of 13 percent. That means 74,000 Rhode Islanders were out of work but looking for a job. It does not include so-called discouraged workers, who do not have a job and have given up looking for one.

The state’s congressional delegation quickly lauded passage of the bill in the House, which followed Senate approval.

“This package will extend unemployment benefits when Rhode Islanders need them the most,” Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy said in a statement.

“I voted today to help provide stability to Rhode Island families hit hardest by this recession,” Rep. James R. Langevin said in a statement.

“With an estimated 74,000 Rhode Islanders out of work, this bill will provide a badly needed lifeline to better days ahead,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said in a statement.

pparker@projo.com