[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 2 (Wednesday, January 8, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E33]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         SUPPORTING THE EMERGENCY UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FORTNEY PETE STARK

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 7, 2003

  Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support the Emergency Unemployment 
Compensation Act being introduced by Democrats today.
  Democrats have made it a top priority to help out-of-work Americans 
struggling to make ends meet in this tough economy. Given the 
difficulty many are having finding work, extending unemployment 
benefits an additional 26 weeks in every State is a necessity. Our 
Democratic bill does this while also retroactively extending 
unemployment benefits to the 800,000 Americans that exhausted their 
benefits on December 28th. Democrats also provide an additional 7 weeks 
of benefits--on top of the 26-week extension--in those States 
especially hard hit by unemployment.
  Republican proposals for unemployment extension fall far short. They 
are seeking only to extend benefits a mere 13 weeks. It seems 
Republicans are more generous when it comes to tax breaks for their 
wealthy friends than for those who can really use a helping hand.
  The argument that any extension of unemployment benefits is too 
costly is just plain wrong. The Democratic proposal requires no new 
spending. It simply requires drawing on the trust fund that these 
workers and businesses have paid into for exactly this kind of economic 
downturn.
  As we reconvene the 108th Congress today, it will be up to the 
President and Congressional Republicans to extend unemployment benefits 
for millions of out-of-work Americans since the Republican party 
controls the House, Senate and the Presidency. I hope the President and 
his Republican friends in Congress will finally put their money where 
their mouths are and join Democrats to fully extend unemployment 
insurance for America's families.
  I urge my colleagues to support the Democratic Emergency Unemployment 
Compensation Act to achieve that goal.

                          ____________________