[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 147 (Thursday, November 14, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11060-S11061]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          ECONOMIC SECURITY AND WORKER ASSISTANCE ACT OF 2001

  Mrs. CLINTON. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 308, H.R. 
3529.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 3529) to provide tax incentives for economic 
     recovery and assistance to displaced workers.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to the consideration 
of the bill.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New York.
  Mrs. CLINTON. Madam President, before formally making the unanimous 
consent request, I wish to thank Senator Nickles for his understanding 
and cooperation in reaching this point this evening. I very much 
appreciate his willingness, and that of his staff, to work with us 
throughout today. And I am very personally grateful for his leadership 
and good advice and counsel.
  This unemployment insurance extension is being sponsored, in addition 
to myself, by the Presiding Officer, the Senator from Washington, who 
has been a tremendous advocate, by Senator Fitzgerald of Illinois, and 
Senator Specter of Pennsylvania.
  The commitment of all of the sponsors, and others, have made it 
possible for us to agree this evening to pass a bill that will be 
extremely welcomed by about 2.1 million Americans who will be able to 
take advantage of this extension that runs through the end of March. 
This will also specifically help approximately 177,000 New Yorkers as 
they enter the holiday season.
  Obviously, this is not all that the Presiding Officer and I would 
have wanted. Perhaps it is more than some would have thought we should 
do. But I think it works out to be an acceptable compromise in bringing 
this about at this time.
  Again, I personally thank Senator Nickles for his extraordinary 
assistance.
  So, Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the substitute 
amendment at the desk be agreed to, the act, as amended, be read a 
third time, passed, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the 
table, with no intervening action or debate; and that any statements 
related thereto be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment (No. 4960) was agreed to, as follows:

       Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
     following:
       Section 1. Section 114 of Public Law 107-229 is amended by 
     striking ``the date specified in section 107(c) of this joint 
     resolution'' and inserting ``March 31, 2003''.

     SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF THE TEMPORARY EXTENDED UNEMPLOYMENT 
                   COMPENSATION ACT OF 2002.

       (a) In General.--Section 208 of the Temporary Extended 
     Unemployment Compensation Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-147; 
     116 Stat. 30) is amended to read as follows:

     ``SEC. 208. APPLICABILITY.

       ``(a) In General.--Except as provided in subsection (b), an 
     agreement entered into under this title shall apply to weeks 
     of unemployment--
       ``(1) beginning after the date on which such agreement is 
     entered into; and
       ``(2) ending before April 1, 2003.
       ``(b) Transition for Amount Remaining in Account.--
       ``(1) In General.--Subject to paragraphs (2) and (3), in 
     the case of an individual who has amounts remaining in an 
     account established under section 203 as of March 29, 2003, 
     temporary extended unemployment compensation shall continue 
     to be payable to such individual from such amounts for any 
     week beginning after such date for which the individual meets 
     the eligibility requirements of this title.
       ``(2) No Augmentation after March 26, 2003.--If the account 
     of an individual is exhausted after March 29, 2003, then 
     section 203(c) shall not apply and such account shall not be 
     augmented under such section, regardless of whether such 
     individual's State is in an extended benefit period (as 
     determined under paragraph (2) of such section).
       ``(3) Limitation.--No compensation shall be payable by 
     reason of paragraph (1) for any week beginning after June 28, 
     2003.''.
       (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by this section 
     shall take effect as if included in the enactment of the 
     Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 2002 
     (Public Law 107-147; 116 Stat. 21).

  The bill (H.R. 3529), as amended, was read a third time and passed.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oklahoma.
  Mr. NICKLES. Madam President, I thank my colleague and friend from 
New York for working with us. I think we have worked out an acceptable 
compromise. Senator Fitzgerald and Senator Specter were very much 
interested in passing this bill so we were happy to accommodate them.
  In contrast to the previous legislation, which was a significant 
expansion over current law, of which efforts had been made to pass by 
unanimous consent earlier today, this is an extension of current law. 
It is a lot less expensive. This is an extension for 3 months.
  We also did something else I think is important. We eliminated the 
cliff. In other words, current law would say by January 1 the 13-week 
Federal program would be terminated. This says, no, there is a 
phaseout. So there is not a cliff. At the end of March, if people are 
already into the system, they can complete their 13-week program. So I 
think it is responsible.
  Also, for the benefit of my colleagues--and some have reservations 
about this program because, legitimately, they are wondering whether, 
if you continue to pay out unemployment benefits, they will stay 
unemployed. And I happen to appreciate many of those concerns.
  Now we will not be wrapped up with this beginning in January. So this 
will give Congress a chance and hopefully offer some assistance to 
those people who really need it and also offer Congress a chance to get 
off to a good start without wrestling and debating this issue.
  I have debated this issue more than I want to debate it. And I 
appreciate our colleagues on both sides willing to compromise.
  The House passed a 1-month extension. This is a 3-month extension 
eliminating the cliff. I think it is a more orderly and more well-
thought-out program that makes sense.
  So I will not object to its passage and appreciate our colleagues 
from New York and Washington, as well as Illinois and Pennsylvania, for 
their cooperation in making this happen.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New York.
  Mrs. CLINTON. As I was listening to the Senator from Oklahoma explain 
why this makes sense, and particularly to eliminate the cliff that, 
frankly, people would have fallen off at the end of the year, right at 
the beginning of a new year--and hopefully providing new hope for 
people--I could not help but think of our colleague, Paul Wellstone. I 
think he is smiling down on us. I think he is up there waving his arms, 
pacing around, and saying, good work, and thanks for doing that.
  To me, this is tremendous evidence of the kind of cooperation that 
can come about to bring us together to help people.
  Again, I thank my friend from Oklahoma.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nevada.
  Mr. REID. Madam President, I have been on this floor many, many times 
when there have been speeches on both sides on extending unemployment 
insurance going back several months. This is what legislating is all 
about, the art of compromise. Not everyone got what they wanted. But we 
got something, and it is very important and very positive.
  I extend my appreciation to the Presiding Officer, the Senator from 
Washington, who worked on this diligently, and, of course, the Senator 
from New York, who has worked on this very hard.
  No one has been on the floor more than the Senator from Oklahoma, and 
he needs to be complimented because he certainly could have stopped 
this in the last few hours of the session. He chose not to do that. He 
chose to move forward on a positive note.
  I, not only for the Senate, but for the respective States and the 
whole country, extend my appreciation to the three of you, all fine 
legislators.
  Mr. NICKLES. Thank you.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Ms. CANTWELL. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.

[[Page S11061]]

  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Clinton). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Ms. CANTWELL. Madam President, I would like to take the opportunity 
to congratulate my colleagues on the passage of the unemployment 
extension bill which we just did by unanimous consent.
  This really was a bipartisan effort by the Senator from Oklahoma and 
from two of our colleagues, the Senator from Illinois, Mr. Fitzgerald, 
and the Senator from Pennsylvania, Mr. Specter, who played a very 
important role in communicating the needs of unemployment benefit 
extensions in their States.
  I thank the Chair, the Senator from New York, Mrs. Clinton, who has 
since July advocated passage of this legislation, talked about the 
importance of making sure that as our economy has faced a downturn, we 
continued to make sure the opportunities for income and stimulus in our 
economy were there.
  As she fought for the State of New York, which has been gravely 
impacted by the events of 9/11 and the downturn in the economy where 
jobs are just not being created, the Senator got all of us in the 
country to realize how critical the issue was for us moving forward at 
a time when the economy has not returned to positive growth.
  Obviously the State of Washington has been greatly impacted by that 
same downturn, in the aerospace industry, in high tech. This 
legislation will actually help over 75,000 Washingtonians who will get 
the benefit of having an extension of a program and, being a high 
unemployment State, will qualify for the benefits of that program. This 
is actually something I think a few Washingtonians tonight, maybe a few 
Seattlites, will be sleeping a little bit better from, knowing that in 
the impending months, as we struggle to get the economy going again, 
they will actually be able to meet those mortgage payments, pay those 
health care bills, and continue to move forward.
  Economists have said this kind of stimulus has a two-to-one effect; 
that for every dollar spent on unemployment benefits, it generates 
about $2.15 into the local economy. We have done a good service for my 
State's economy and for New York's and Pennsylvania and Illinois, for 
the whole country, because we will be stimulating those individuals' 
disposable income.
  Again, I thank the Senator from New York for her hard work and 
vision, pointing out last summer the need to do it, being diligent in 
this process. And tonight, because of this bipartisan support, there 
will be more Americans sleeping better as we approach the tough 
challenges ahead in getting our economy moving but knowing that we have 
not left workers behind, workers who would rather have a paycheck than 
an unemployment check, but at least now they will be continuing to add 
to the economy.
  I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Cantwell). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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