[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 32 (Tuesday, March 19, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H960-H965]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  EXTENDING UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE FOR VICTIMS OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 
                           TERRORIST ATTACKS

  Mr. COOKSEY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 3986) to extend the period of availability of unemployment 
assistance under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act in the case of victims of the terrorist attacks of 
September 11, 2001.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 3986

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. EXTENSION OF UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE.

       Notwithstanding section 410(a) of the Robert T. Stafford 
     Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 
     5177(a)), in the case of any individual eligible to receive 
     unemployment assistance under section 410(a) of that Act as a 
     result of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the 
     President shall make such assistance available for 39 weeks 
     after the major disaster is declared.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Louisiana (Mr. Cooksey) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Cooksey).
  Mr. COOKSEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3986 amends the Robert T. Stafford Emergency 
Assistance and Disaster Relief Act to extend the period of eligibility 
for disaster unemployment assistance for the Presidential disaster 
declared as a result of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, at 
the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
  H.R. 3986 extends the provision of disaster unemployment assistance 
from 26 weeks to 39 weeks for those workers who lost their jobs at the 
World Trade Center in New York and at the Pentagon in the Washington 
metropolitan area as a direct result of the September 11 attacks.
  Under the Stafford act, the disaster unemployment assistance program 
is for persons who become unemployed as a direct result of a disaster 
and who are not eligible for State insurance or any other unemployment 
benefits.
  The New York State Department of Labor administers the Disaster 
Unemployment Assistance Program on behalf of the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency. Disaster unemployment assistance is only payable 
during the disaster assistance period, and this legislation will extend 
that period until June 15, 2002.
  The bill does not amend section 410 of the Stafford act to 
permanently extend disaster unemployment assistance payments; it merely 
creates an extension only for the disaster declaration stemming from 
the September 11 attacks.
  This bill provides much needed assistance to displaced individuals 
for a sufficient period of time. I commend the bipartisan effort by the 
committee leadership, and especially the work of the New York 
delegation, for their hard work in bringing this bill to the floor. I 
support the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1600

  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young), 
the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar), the gentleman from Ohio 
(Mr. LaTourette), and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Costello) for 
shuttling this bill through committee and to the floor. I also want to 
thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Quinn) for working with me to 
bring this bill to the floor.

[[Page H961]]

  As most Members know, this legislation will extend by 13 weeks 
disaster unemployment assistance, or DUA. DUA is extended only to those 
people who lost their jobs as a direct result of the September 11 
terrorist attack on our country, but who do not qualify for normal 
unemployment insurance.
  Currently, the number of people receiving DUA stands at 2,500. That 
is what we are talking about in this bill, 2,500 people, although as 
individuals find work, hopefully this number will decline. These people 
overwhelmingly hold blue collar jobs and are the lowest paid in our 
economy. They include hotel workers, janitors and window washers. They 
are the most vulnerable members in our society and most in need of our 
help. Funding for this program is already in place by way of last 
year's supplemental appropriations act for New York disaster relief.
  This legislation is urgent as DUA benefits have already terminated. 
Without this extension, thousands of victims of the attack on our 
country will be left without any help in an economy that in New York 
has been devastated not only by the national economic melee, but also 
by the disaster of September 11. While we cannot make people whole from 
the effects of the devastating attacks of September 11, we must do all 
we can to ease the transition of these people from tragedy back to 
normal life.
  The Senate already passed this legislation last December. S. 1622, 
authored by Senator Clinton of New York, included a 26-week extension. 
In fact, the Committee on Transportation originally passed a bill, S. 
1622, the Senate bill, by voice vote afterwards substituted for the 
bill that I introduced in the House. Unfortunately, in order to get 
this bill to the floor we had to make this bill only a 13-week 
extension.
  As I said earlier, DUA benefits run out in New York on March 17, 
which is to say 2 days ago, and in Virginia on March 21, which is 2 
days from now. It is imperative that these people know as soon as 
possible that their benefits will be extended or renewed.
  I must point out that unlike regular unemployment, an individual is 
not entitled to 26 weeks which may be extended to 13 weeks. The program 
expires 26 weeks after the disaster is declared, and we are extending 
that by 13 weeks. An individual who started, perhaps because of 
bureaucracy, getting his assistance in November does not get anywhere 
near 26 weeks; it is cut back. So it differs between regular 
unemployment insurance there.
  I urge the House and Senate to pass this legislation as soon as 
possible and send it to the President for his signature.
  Again, I want to thank the chairman and the rest of the House for 
their support as we continue to recover from the devastation of 
September 11, both at home and abroad. I would also like to point out 
that the necessity for this legislation, for this emergency assistance 
to people, window washers, janitors, who worked at the World Trade 
Center and were deprived of their jobs by direct enemy action, but yet 
cannot get regular unemployment insurance, also shows us the necessity 
of restoring our unemployment system to what it was. Only about one-
third of people who are laid off now get unemployment insurance because 
the restrictions that many States have imposed are so high. It used to 
be 60 percent and now it is down to one-third.
  So this bill shows the necessity for restoring the strength of our 
once-vibrant unemployment insurance system so that workers like this 
would be covered without the necessity of special legislation on their 
behalf.
  I thank the chairman and the rest of the House for their support.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. COOKSEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Quinn).
  Mr. QUINN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3986 this 
afternoon and urge my colleagues to vote in favor of bill later this 
afternoon.
  As we stated, H.R. 3986 extends the period of availability of 
disaster unemployment assistance for individuals who lost their jobs as 
a direct result of the terrorist attacks on the United States on 
September 11, 2001. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, 
administers this part of the disaster unemployment assistance program 
pursuant to Section 410(a) of the Stafford Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act to provide unemployment assistance to persons who become 
unemployed as a result of major disasters.
  Our distinction here, Mr. Speaker, is that we are talking about 
disaster unemployment assistance as opposed to straight unemployment 
assistance.
  This program currently provides disaster unemployment assistance to 
qualified individuals for a period not to exceed 26 weeks. Mr. Speaker, 
we are just about there right now at the 26-week period.
  Individuals from Northern Virginia and New York City are eligible for 
disaster unemployment assistance only if they are not receiving other 
types of unemployment assistance. We do not want to duplicate. This 
legislation extends that period of eligibility from 26 weeks to 39 
weeks. It will help roughly 2,500 Americans at a minimal cost, roughly 
about $2 million.
  This bill enjoys broad bipartisan support. As the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Nadler) pointed out, it sailed through the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure, as well as a voice vote in the 
Senate.
  In only a few hours before its introduction, Mr. Speaker, I was able 
to secure the support of over 20 colleagues from New York State alone. 
That amount of support in such a short period of time I think is 
indicative of the importance and timeliness of this legislation.
  I want to thank any fellow New Yorkers for their hard work and 
dedication on this issue, in particular, a special thanks to the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler) for his relentless pursuit of the 
passage of this bill. Mr. Speaker, his constituents are the ones that 
are most affected by this bill, and he has worked tirelessly on their 
behalf, as well as all New Yorkers. I am hopeful that the Senate can 
take up the measure after it passes the House today and send it to the 
President for his signature as soon as possible.
  Swift action will allow these hard-working Americans to continue to 
receive the benefits they so desperately need. As is always the case, 
it is time, Mr. Speaker, to thank the people who worked on the bill: 
our majority leader who allowed us to bring it under suspension today; 
the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Cooksey), the gentleman from Alaska 
(Mr. Young), and I have mentioned the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Nadler) already.
  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sandlin).
  Mr. SANDLIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Nadler) for yielding me time.
  Mr. Speaker, after September 11 hundreds of thousands of Americans 
lost their jobs and were forced to seek unemployment benefits. Earlier 
this month we voted to extend unemployment benefits for an additional 
13 weeks. Unfortunately, the extension we approved on March 7 does not 
apply to those who receive unemployment benefits through the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency. Today we are considering legislation that 
would address that oversight.
  Unemployment benefits are crucial to those who have lost their jobs 
in order to pay their bills and preserve their dignity. In the same way 
Social Security provides our Nation's 32 million seniors with crucial 
monthly income, it helps pay for their costly prescription drugs and 
otherwise keeps them out of poverty.
  Unfortunately, the Republican budget for 2003 taps into the Social 
Security trust fund every year for the next 10 years, over $1.8 
trillion through 2012. That is simply unacceptable in this country.
  The legislation we are considering today provides funding for 
unemployment benefits for those directly affected by September 11. The 
budget we will consider tomorrow also contains funding for important 
initiatives that were begun as a result of September 11. Our military 
must continue to pursue terrorists and prevent attacks. However, we 
must also prevent a raid on the Social Security trust fund and reject 
the Republican plan to raid the fund once again.
  Even as we continue to support the war on terrorism and those who 
lost their jobs as a result of the attacks, we must also continue to 
support our Nation's working families and seniors by

[[Page H962]]

protecting the Social Security surplus. We need to protect seniors and 
working families who have worked hard and played by the rules.
  Preserve Social Security, do not raid it. Help our families that were 
directly affected by September 11. Do not make them worry about the 
future.
  Mr. COOKSEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the 
gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Kelly).
  Mrs. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, the unprecedented suffering our country 
endured on September 11 has been met with unprecedented compassion. The 
American people have shown their true colors in the wake of the attacks 
by selflessly giving their time and money to the victims of the 
attacks. People from all over come to New York now. They come to visit, 
hold hands and it helps us. This helps us to recover, and we from New 
York thank you for coming. Please come in great numbers and spend 
money. It will help us a lot.
  Congress is continuing to show its strong commitment to help those 
most affected by September 11. This bill would extend unemployment 
benefits to those individuals who lost their jobs as a direct result to 
the attacks to 39 weeks after a major disaster has been declared. It is 
common-sense legislation. It says that Congress will protect American 
families and see them through tough economic times brought on by these 
attacks until they can get back on their feet.
  I would like to thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Quinn), my 
fellow New York Republican for his work on this issue; and I thank the 
gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Cooksey) for allowing me the time.
  It is important legislation. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of 
H.R. 3986.
  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
New York (Mrs. Maloney).
  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that we are 
finally voting on legislation that would extend disaster unemployment 
benefits to workers who lost their jobs because of September 11.
  I would like to thank particularly my colleagues, the gentlemen from 
New York (Mr. Quinn and Mr. Nadler) for their hard work. I especially 
want to note the efforts of the gentleman from New York (Mr. Quinn) who 
again shows how the State of New York is pulling together in a 
bipartisan way to help New York City after the terrorist attacks.
  I would also like to thank Senator Clinton for her hard work in 
assisting those workers left out of standard unemployment assistance. 
Too many working families are still suffering because of the terrorist 
attacks.
  While I am pleased that we are finally extending relief to New 
Yorkers who would otherwise not receive unemployment and who lost their 
jobs as a result of the disaster, it is unfortunate that this 
legislation has come in at the very last minute. Many New Yorkers and 
workers would have lost their unemployment benefits in the next weeks 
if we had not extended these benefits and if we had not ended these 
political games and brought this legislation to the floor. I only hope 
that the bill reaches the President's desk in time so that there is not 
a lapse in benefits.
  However, our work is not done. Now that we have extended unemployment 
benefits for the workers laid off as a part of the recession nationwide 
and unemployment benefits for those directly affected by September 11 
who would not otherwise have received benefits, we must now turn our 
efforts to ensure that all laid-off workers, both in New York and 
across the country, who are now going without health care, get the 
coverage that they desperately need.
  Health care is one of our basic necessities. It is vital that we do 
not forget that there are workers who are facing a multiple of 
dilemmas. Not only are they unemployed, but they must also figure out 
how to afford necessary health care for their children. Seven-point-
nine million Americans currently are unemployed. Because most workers 
depend upon employer-provided health coverage, millions of people are 
likely without health care.
  We must work to make sure that we get this assistance to them now.
  Mr. COOKSEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Walsh).
  Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. 
Cooksey) for his leadership on this issue and for bringing it promptly 
to the floor.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3986, a bill to 
extend the period of availability of disaster unemployment assistance 
for those most affected by the terrorist attacks of September 11 and 
their families. The extension would take it out a full 39 weeks.
  On September 11 the Nation endured a domestic assault upon American 
values and our democratic way of life beyond anything anyone could have 
previously imagined. Thousands of innocent people lost their lives, 
thousands lost their homes, their businesses and their jobs. Thousands 
more lost their families' livelihood. The attack caused the loss of 
110,000 jobs in New York alone; another 270,000 are at risk.
  Twenty percent of the downtown New York office space has been damaged 
or destroyed. In Northern Virginia the Pentagon attack has greatly 
impacted local businesses, especially those at or around Reagan 
National Airport.
  The impacts of September 11 will extend further and longer than those 
of any other major disaster in our history. As such, our Nation and our 
government must respond to the overwhelming needs of the September 11 
victims and their families. This bill ensures that our government keeps 
its responsibility to those Americans by extending unemployment 
benefits and ensuring economic solvency for the affected families.
  In the case of the World Trade Center attacks, this insurance will be 
eligible for many of the small business owners, small restaurant 
operators, janitors and other blue collar workers who no longer have 
jobs, or who are unable to reach their jobs in the case where the 
building was destroyed, or have become the sole breadwinner for the 
household because the head of the household died or cannot work because 
of a disaster-related injury.
  This bill is important to the well-being of those most impacted by 
the September 11 terrorist attacks, and I are urge my colleagues to 
support this important legislation.
  I would like to especially thank the majority leader, the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Armey) for the expeditious scheduling of this important 
legislation; and I would also like to thank the gentleman from New York 
(Mr. Quinn) for his consistent and strong leadership on behalf of our 
State, New York, and for all working men and women in America.
  I urge all my colleagues to support this important bill. It is 
timely, the right thing and the necessary thing to do.
  I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.

                              {time}  1615

  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott).
  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate we have to come out 
here and put Bandaids one after another on this unemployment benefit. 
Where the other body has passed 26 weeks, we ought to do 26 weeks; but 
I guess we will get a chance to do another bill.
  What is really missing here, though, is the health care benefits if 
someone is drawing unemployment. The average in this country is 
somewhere around two and a quarter a week. I am sure in New York it is 
a little higher than that. Let us say it is $300 a week. So they get 
$1,200 a month. Now, if they had health care benefits before, they do 
not have enough out of $1,200 to go out and pay the premiums for health 
insurance. So they have the double hit of no money to live on and no 
health care if something happens to them.
  Most of the working Americans in the situation in New York that they 
got into were covered with insurance, and they have been able to build 
up little bit of equity and little bit of future for themselves. All it 
takes is one illness, one injury and they are wiped out; and there is a 
bill here, it is Discharge Petition Number 6, that is for House 
Resolution 3341, which gives 75 percent of COBRA benefits, plus it 
gives additional money to States for their Medicaid programs so that 
they can cover the other 25 percent.

[[Page H963]]

  We could cover everybody in health care, but 6 months after the 
incident on 9-11 we still have not done anything on health care. Now, 
if we care about those people, it is nice to talk about unemployment 
benefits, and I am for this bill; but where is the plan to help them 
get covered with their health care? Are we counting on Medicare in New 
York to take care of it? I will bet that the New York legislature is 
struggling with that.
  The next issue ought to be House Resolution 3341, which is a 
discharge petition. We have got 177 signatures. So anybody who really 
wants to help New Yorkers, go sign 6.
  Mr. COOKSEY. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Rodriguez).
  Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, many workers lost their jobs as a result 
of the September 11 attacks on America. Several of those workers are 
still jobless and continue to struggle financially.
  H.R. 3986 provides a much-needed 13-week extension of those benefits 
for those workers who lost their jobs as a result of the terrorist 
attacks and are ineligible for traditional unemployment assistance. 
These workers represent part of the millions unemployed in America.
  Many of these laid-off workers lost more than just steady paychecks. 
They also lost critical benefits and crucial benefits. Many have lost 
their family health coverage, joining the ranks of the uninsured.
  Before we give more tax cuts to large corporations, we should protect 
workers and their families by extending the COBRA benefits and 
providing some reimbursement for premium payments.
  A few months ago, even the Bush administration had proposed that an 
income stimulus package should include some type of subsidy to help 
unemployed workers to be able to afford to purchase COBRA coverage. 
This a step in the right direction. However, for many of the workers 
eligible for COBRA coverage when they are laid off, the high cost of 
coverage acts as a powerful barrier, making it difficult to purchase 
even with Federal and State subsidies, and a tax credit will not serve 
as a panacea for assisting workers with COBRA coverage.
  Therefore, we should also consider other options for the majority of 
workers who do not have access to COBRA coverage because their incomes 
are too low. The average cost of group insurance for family coverage is 
now approximately $7,000 a year. This is exceptionally high premiums 
for unemployed workers to afford.
  One temporary option is for States to provide coverage through their 
Medicaid programs to allow low-income workers to be able to afford 
access to health care coverage. Democrats have proposed helping States 
meet the increase in Medicaid costs by temporarily increasing the 
Federal matching rate and protecting State Medicaid programs from 
further budget cuts.
  There must be some relief for low-income workers who lose their jobs 
and their health insurance. We should not relegate uninsured workers 
and their families to the low costs or no cost health care safety nets 
provided by the local communities to provide that service.
  Safety net providers such as public hospitals and community health 
centers are already struggling to meet the needs of their indigent and 
the uninsured population despite the growing deficits faced by 
municipal and State governments.
  By extending similar benefits to workers affected by the September 11 
attacks, the House has again made some progress in meeting the needs of 
the unemployed workers. It is now time for us to act quickly and 
provide health care coverage to the unemployed workers and their 
families.
  Mr. COOKSEY. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have remaining?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Simpson). The gentleman from New York 
(Mr. Nadler) has 7\1/2\ minutes remaining, and the gentleman from 
Louisiana (Mr. Cooksey) has 11\1/2\ minutes remaining.
  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. George Miller).
  (Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California asked and was given permission to 
revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of 
the bill which directs the Federal Government to extend unemployment 
benefits to workers in New York and Virginia who would otherwise fail 
to qualify for unemployment benefits under State law.
  It is a fine idea, and it is a good bill, as far as it goes; but it 
does not go nearly far enough to address the real economic pain of 
millions of American families in other States who are being unfairly 
denied unemployment benefits. These workers in many of these instances 
lost their jobs just as directly by the attack on 9-11 as the people in 
New York or Virginia. The people in San Francisco and Las Vegas and New 
Orleans, or Orlando, L.A., Dallas or Miami, they lost their jobs almost 
immediately, matter of hours, matter of days in the hotel and 
restaurants, resorts, convention centers, and rental car agencies; but 
most of these people are not eligible for unemployment. So even though 
they lost their jobs, through no fault of their own, even though they 
lost their jobs as a result of the terrorist activity, they are not 
getting unemployment.
  Historically, unemployment benefits have covered more than half of 
all unemployed workers. Coverage rates during past recessions have 
approached 70 percent, but that is not the case in the current 
situation.
  Over the last decade, the changes in State laws, and many of those 
States that I read, significantly reduced the percentage of workers who 
receive unemployment benefits. Only 43 percent of the unemployed 
workers in 2001 and only 40 percent of the unemployed women workers 
received unemployment benefits. In 15 States, less than 35 percent of 
unemployed workers received unemployment benefits. In 10 States, less 
than 30 percent of unemployed workers received unemployment benefits.
  Why does the leadership continue to refuse to bring this kind of 
legislation to the floor to make sure that all of these workers who 
suffered as a result of 9-11, all of the workers who lost their jobs 
directly because of that activity, would get the unemployment benefits, 
if they are necessary to hold their families together while they are 
waiting for the economy to recover, while they are waiting for their 
jobs to return in many of the areas of our country, especially those 
areas impacted by tourists and convention business? We have employees 
that are working one shift a week trying to hold on to their jobs for 
when that recovery comes because they are not eligible for unemployment 
benefits.
  Mr. Speaker, this legislation is a fine piece of legislation for 
those people in New York, New Jersey, and in the Virginia area; but it 
does not address the needs of hundreds of thousands of America workers 
who were devastated every bit as much as those workers on 9-11.
  Today, we find that almost 98 percent of all workers in America pay 
into unemployment insurance, but less than 40 percent of them are 
covered. It is just an unacceptable fact that these people will be 
denied the benefit of the money they pay into. The Federal Government 
ought to step in and have a uniform unemployment system for all 
Americans.
  Mr. COOKSEY. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have remaining?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler) has 
5 minutes remaining. The gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Cooksey) has 
11\1/2\ minutes remaining.
  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters).
  Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3986, which 
extends disaster unemployment assistance; and I commend my colleagues 
from New York for the hard work that they are putting in to try and 
make sure that people who have been victims of 9-11 are at least 
afforded some kind of relief.
  The disaster of September 11 demands that we focus on the needs of 
the many, many victims of that attack. However, life is going to be 
tougher not only for the victims of 9-11 but for most Americans 
because, as I

[[Page H964]]

review what we are doing right here in the Congress of the United 
States, I am disappointed with the budget resolution that the 
Republicans have voted out of committee.
  This budget resolution is a $2.1 trillion resolution that claims to 
be able to fund an extended and expanded war and to also fund the 
domestic needs, the unemployment needs, the health needs, and the 
education needs of this country despite the fact that we have passed 
out a $1.7 trillion tax cut for the 2002 budget that benefits the 
wealthiest corporations and individuals in the country, and in addition 
to that, another $40 billion in tax cuts that was recently passed in 
the so-called economic stimulus legislation.
  Because of the policies of this administration, we have reduced our 
surplus by $4 trillion, and we are now faced with dipping into Social 
Security, $1.8 trillion over the next 10 years. Despite voting five 
times for the Social Security lock box, today we are breaking that 
promise and raiding Social Security.
  It is indeed important that we address the needs of those who lost 
their jobs. However, what about the future? What about the retirement 
of Americans who expect Social Security benefits to be there for them 
when they retire?
  I want my colleagues to know that the Republicans are breaking the 
promise of protecting Social Security. I mentioned that we have voted 
five times for the Social Security lock box. We cannot escape the fact 
that, yes, we can do some Bandaid and temporary protections. For those 
in New York and others where we extend unemployment benefits, we come 
up with some additional support for disaster unemployment assistance, 
but the fact of the matter is this: we are doing nothing to protect the 
future for these workers.
  We are doing nothing to protect Social Security. Social Security is 
now at risk. It is at risk because this administration has done away 
and is doing away with the budget surplus that had been built up under 
the past administration; and because of that, whatever we do today is 
very temporary and these very same workers will be faced with a bleak 
future because we are dipping into Social Security.
  Americans must be concerned about the fact that now our Social 
Security benefits for the future are at stake.
  Mr. COOKSEY. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the remaining time.
  I am glad here we are finally today, two days after the benefits ran 
out in New York, two days before they run out in Virginia. 
Unfortunately, this bill is not as the bill Senator Clinton originally 
passed in the Senate, as the bill that almost passed here by unanimous 
consent last December but arrived a few minutes too late from the 
Senate, and as the bill that I sponsored that was reported out of the 
committee unanimously about 3 weeks ago did, all of those bills said a 
26-week extension.
  Unfortunately, this bill only says 13-week extension. Unfortunately, 
this also means that the Senate is going to have to take time 
presumably next week or later this week to change its bill to match our 
13 weeks before it goes to the President, and there will be at least a 
week interruption in benefits because we delayed in doing our job in 
getting this bill to the floor.
  As I said before, we are not talking here about 39 weeks of benefits 
for individuals, but of 39 weeks of eligibility for the program from 
the date the disaster was declared. Most people did not start getting 
DUA right away. It took the bureaucracy some time. They started getting 
it in November or December, which means they are getting it for less 
than 26 weeks and with this bill for less than 39 weeks.
  We will probably have to, in light of how difficult it is for some 
people who were thrown out of work specifically by the attack on our 
country, we will probably have to be back here extending it for another 
13 weeks later.
  I am appreciative of the work especially of the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Quinn) and the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hostettler) and of 
others and of the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young) and the gentleman 
from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar), who helped get this bill to the floor; 
and I am hopeful that we will pass this bill today so that the 
interruption in benefits for the people in New York and in Virginia who 
were victimized by the attack directly will be as short as possible, 
and I extend my appreciation to all of them. And I urge approval of 
this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3986, a 
bill to extend the period of availability of disaster unemployment 
assistance under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act in the case of victims of the terrorist attacks of 
September 11, 2001. The bill extends the unemployment assistance period 
from 26 weeks to 39 weeks.
  The Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) program provides 
unemployment benefits to individuals who have become unemployed because 
of a Presidentially declared disaster. The Department of Labor has been 
delegated the authority to administer the program for which the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is responsible under Section 410 of 
the Disaster Assistance Act.
  It is important to note that DUA will not be paid to someone who 
receives regular unemployment compensation or private income protection 
insurance compensation unless that person's other program eligibility 
expires and weeks of unemployment continue in the disaster assistance 
period. DUA will then be paid to those individuals at the same weekly 
benefit rate that they were receiving under the other compensation 
program. These requirements ensure that there is no duplication of 
benefits.
  Extending the DUA program is particularly important because it covers 
the self-employed, low-wage earners, and those who fall between the 
cracks of our regular unemployment insurance programs. Since the 
program is available only in the wake of such terrible disasters as we 
experienced on September 11, the help that it provides is especially 
vital in helping families get back on their feet.
  The Stafford Act originally provided for up to 52 weeks of disaster 
unemployment assistance, but during the Reagan Administration, the FEMA 
programs were subject to many budgets cuts and disaster unemployment 
assistance was reduced to 26 weeks. Many Members of Congress opposed 
these cuts at the time.
  Last December, after months of work by Senator Clinton and Senator 
Schumer, the other body passed a bill, S. 1622, to extend the disaster 
unemployment assistance period from 26 weeks to 52 weeks. The Gentleman 
from New York, Mr. Nadler, had already introduced a companion House 
bill and he made every effort to have the House consider S. 1622 on the 
final day of the First Session of the 107th Congress. Regrettably, the 
House Leadership did not clear the bill for consideration before we 
adjourned.
  The Gentleman from New York has continued to actively work the issue 
almost everyday since the Other Body passed the bill. He shepherded the 
Senate bill through our Committee, and with the strong support of 
Chairman Young, Subcommittee Chairman LaTourette, and Subcommittee 
Democratic Ranking Member Costello, we reported that bill unanimously, 
in an effort to speed the bill to the President's desk and avoid 
causing the disaster victims to suffer a lapse in benefits.

  Although I wish we were simply sending the Senate-passed bill, S. 
1622, to the President, it is imperative that we move this new bill, 
H.R. 3986, forward today, even though it only extends the benefits by 
13 weeks. Unfortunately, time is of the essence now. It has been three 
months since the Other Body acted and the benefits for disaster 
unemployment insurance are now running out. The disaster unemployment 
insurance benefits for victims of the World Trade Center attack ended 
last Sunday, March 17. Similarly, the benefits for victims of the 
Pentagon will end on March 21.
  There are so many tragic stories that could be told to help 
illustrate why this extension of disaster unemployment assistance is so 
critical at this time. For example, Mr. John Ortiz worked at the 
Marriott Hotel at the World Trade Center. He is not eligible for 
regular unemployment assistance and he has been receiving disaster 
unemployment assistance since mid-October. He has also been helped by 
two charities, Safe Horizon and the Red Cross, with the money covering 
needed expenses such as rent. He has looked for other work within the 
hotel industry, but has not been able to find a new job. The hotel 
industry has been so dramatically affected by the events of September 
11, that there are very few available jobs, if any at all. Mr. Ortiz 
feels lucky that he does not have children to support, but says there 
are many, many families who do have children and are in desperate need 
of help. He is but one of the approximately 2,500 people who will 
benefit from this legislation. All of these people are trying their 
best to help themselves by searching each day to find a job, develop 
new skills, find assistance from charitable programs, pay their rent, 
and simply survive.

[[Page H965]]

  I commend the gentleman from New York, Mr. Quinn, for recrafting this 
legislation to ensure its House passage. I also thank Mr. Nadler for 
his efforts--he is a champion for all of the victims of September 11th, 
and I commend him for his stalwart dedication. I am hopeful that the 
Other Body will be able to quickly consider this legislation and clear 
it for the President's consideration.
  Mr. Speaker, these victims of the September 11th terrorist attacks 
have struggled enough; as Americans, we must help them in their time of 
need.
  I urge all Members to support H.R. 3986.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3986, a 
bill to extend unemployment assistance administered by the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency for qualifying individuals who lost their 
jobs as a direct result of the September 11th terrorist attacks.
  While the heroic clean-up and recovery efforts continue unabated, the 
unprecedented devastation caused by the attacks is still starkly 
evident today in lower Manhattan and at the Pentagon. The attacks 
destroyed twenty percent of downtown New York City's office space and 
led directly to the loss of over 100,000 jobs.
  In Virginia, the three week shut down of Reagan National Airport led 
to the loss of nearly 20,000 jobs. Under current Federal law, 
individuals who lost their jobs as a direct result of terrorism are 
able to receive 26 weeks of unemployment assistance through FEMA. 
However, many of these individuals are still struggling to find work 
while facing the prospect of the termination of this assistance.
  Accordingly, this important and timely legislation will extend the 
assistance for an additional 13 weeks. As we continue our collective 
efforts to rebuild our Nation's economy, let us also ensure that those 
men and women who were directly affected by the attacks are not 
forgotten. As a co-sponsor of this legislation and as a proud New 
Yorker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure.
  Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that this much-needed bill 
has been scheduled for consideration in an effort to pass it before the 
benefits lapse. I would like to thank Chairman Don Young, Ranking 
Democratic Member Oberstar and the Subcommittee Chairman Steven 
LaTourette for speeding this bill through our Committee. I would also 
like to commend Mr. Nadler for his diligence on this issue and his 
longstanding commitment to the victims of the tragedy on September 11th 
and in particular to the people of New York.
  Mr. Speaker, although I support this legislation, I do wish that we 
were able to pass the original bill that passed the other body in 
December and through the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in 
February. It was important to pass the legislation before the benefits 
lapse and I am hopeful that this bill will be enacted soon.
  I support H.R. 3986, which extends unemployment assistance under the 
Stafford Act. This bill extends the period that victims of the 
terrorist attacks of September 11th would be eligible for unemployment 
benefits to 39 weeks. Currently, the Disaster Unemployment Assistance 
(DUA) benefit period begins with the week following the disaster 
incident or date thereafter that individual became unemployed and can 
extend up to 26 weeks after the date of declaration or until the 
individual becomes re-employed. The Department of Labor has been 
delegated the authority to administer the program, for which FEMA is 
responsible. In fact, the Stafford Act originally provided for 52 weeks 
of benefits--this legislation would simply restore unemployment 
benefits to that level.
  The expansion of these benefits would help the more than 2,200 
workers who lost their jobs as a direct result of the attacks on 
September 11th but don't qualify for regular unemployment assistance. 
Many of these individuals are in low wage jobs and are among the 
neediest of assistance, especially given our current economy. They need 
this extension to help them move forward again after experiencing the 
worst terrorist event in our nation's history.
  Mr. Speaker, this is good legislation, and urge my colleagues to join 
me in supporting it.

                              {time}  1630

  Mr. COOKSEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Simpson). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Cooksey) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3986.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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