WASHINGTON – Congress is nearing final passage of legislation that would extend unemployment benefits by up to 20 weeks in Rhode Island and elsewhere, and expand the homebuyer tax credit scheduled to expire at the end of the month. The Senate on Wednesday voted 97-1 to proceed with a final vote on the combined measure. That is expected to take place either this afternoon or Thursday. Congressional aides say the House could then take a vote to approve the Senate bill, clearing the way for President Barack Obama to sign it. The U.S. unemployment rate was 9.8 percent in September; the October figure will be released on Friday. The House passed an extension of unemployment benefits in September, but the proposal has been stalled in the Senate for more than a month, first because of disagreements among Democrats and then procedural roadblocks set up by Republicans. “With the winter and the holidays approaching, this legislation cannot come soon enough,” U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., who is sponsoring the bill, said Tuesday in a speech on the Senate floor. He added: “This crisis is nationwide. It is not a red state, blue state problem. It is our problem.” The revised bill includes an extension of the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit through April 30. The bill would also add a $6,500 tax credit for homebuyers who have lived in their current residence for five years or more. The maximum income eligibility for the credit would also be increased, meaning wealthier Americans could qualify to receive it.