[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 171 (Wednesday, November 1, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2088]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             REINSTATE EMERGENCY UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION

                                 ______


                         HON. NICK J. RAHALL II

                            of west virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 1, 1995

  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I have introduced legislation today to 
reinstate the emergency unemployment compensation program.
  In 1993, we were able to pass two extensions of unemployment benefits 
for the long term unemployed. Thousands of people were exhausting their 
benefits each month, and when they lost their benefits, these American 
workers also lost any chance of further retraining and education. Mr. 
Speaker, we passed the benefits to forcibly pull our Nation out of the 
recession of the late eighties and early nineties.
  Well, Mr. Speaker, I have news for some of my colleagues; 
unemployment is not over for every body. By not passing another 
extension in 1993, we removed a vital safety net for our chronically 
unemployed workers. I have been contacted by a number of coal miners in 
my home State of West Virginia, miners who for years had worked in the 
mines, only to see their jobs disappear.
  One miner wrote to me saying, ``My unemployment has run out. I need a 
way to support my family. I'm 54 years old and I am not asking for a 
handout or welfare. I'd like to have a job, I am tired of being out of 
work * * * extending unemployment benefits would help since it takes so 
long to find a job.''
  Another worker, who is attending a transition class at a vocational 
school, wrote to me to request an extension of unemployment benefits. 
This worker was not asking for a handout, he was asking for a helping 
hand so he could finish his class, find another job and continue 
supporting his family.
  West Virginia coal has fueled this Nation's economy for over a 
century. Now, as we move into the 21st century, when a mine closes, 
often times the mine never reopens. Generations of miners must be 
retrained with new skills, and that Mr. Speaker, takes time, sometimes 
longer than the 26 weeks the State provides in unemployment benefits.
  The legislation I have introduced today is straightforward. The bill 
will extend unemployment benefits for workers who have exhausted their 
State provided benefits for a period of 20 to 26 weeks, depending on 
each State's unemployment rate. It is funded through emergency funding 
provisions within the Budget Act because for any family with a long-
term unemployed member, every single day without a job or paycheck is 
an emergency.
  Mr. Speaker, it is urgent that we as a Congress act now on this 
measure. It is an urgent issue for families all across America. By 
passing this legislation, we will be providing a helping hand, 
providing a safety net and it will continue the work started in the 
103d Congress to pull all of our Nation out of the recession created by 
the failed policies of the eighties. Mr. Speaker, this legislation will 
enable chronically unemployed workers who have lost their jobs to 
retrain and retool for the next century.

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