[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 25 (Wednesday, February 28, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E237]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  THE PARITY FOR PART-TIME WORKERS ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENJAMIN L. CARDIN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 28, 2001

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Speaker, unemployed part-time workers who meet 
monetary eligibility requirements are precluded from receiving 
Unemployment Insurance (UI) in at least 31 States merely because they 
seek part-time, rather than full-time employment. This means that a 
laid-off parent who wants to continue to work part-time to care for a 
child is denied UI benefits while looking for employment, despite 
having earned sufficient past wages to be eligible for such assistance.
  For this reason, I am reintroducing the Parity for Part-time Workers 
Act. This legislation would prohibit the denial of UI based solely on 
the fact that an individual is seeking part-time work, if the 
individual: (1) Otherwise qualifies for unemployment compensation based 
wholly or mostly on part-time work; and (2) seeks at least 20 hours of 
work a week. In short, this family-friendly legislation will help level 
the playing field for part-time workers.
  In 1995, the non-partisan Advisory Council on Unemployment 
Compensation recommended prohibiting discrimination against part-time 
workers. More recently, a working group on UI issues with members 
representing businesses, workers and the State and Federal UI agencies 
also recommended that part-time workers be treated more fairly. And 
finally, a Government Accounting Office (GAO) report released last 
month clearly illustrates the inequitable barriers standing between 
part-time and other low-wage workers and UI benefits. I do not think we 
need any additional evidence that this problem demands an immediate 
solution.
  I urge my colleagues to support this effort to prevent discrimination 
against unemployed part-time workers.

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