[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 96 (Wednesday, June 11, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1207]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     SUPPORTING EXTENDING UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS TO JOBLESS WORKERS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FORTNEY PETE STARK

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 11, 2008

  Mr. STARK. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of assisting 
the millions of workers who have exhausted their Unemployment Insurance 
(UI) benefits and are still struggling to find work in the wreckage of 
the Bush recession.
  While cutting taxes for the very richest, the President has left 
workers to fend for themselves. Congress has a responsibility to mend 
our safety net and lessen the impact of unemployment. In my home State 
of California, over 180,000 workers have run out of UI benefits, with 
an additional 520,000 expected to join them over the next 10 months. 
Even our Republican Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, has called on 
Congress to extend benefits.
  This legislation is simple. It will provide 13 additional weeks of UI 
to workers who are still unable to find employment after exhausting 
benefits. In States with high unemployment, an additional 13 weeks 
would be made available. All benefits will be paid out of the UI Trust 
Fund, which has $35 billion in reserves. Extending UI benefits is also 
commonplace. During the last seven recessions--1958, 1961, 1972, 1975, 
1982, 1991, and 2002--Congress has passed similar legislation. The 
circumstances for unemployed workers are actually more dire today than 
they were during the past two downturns. Long-term unemployment is 
twice as high (18.5 percent of those without jobs have been unemployed 
for six months or more) as it was when Congress extended benefits in 
2002 and 1991.
  The time to act is now. The economy has lost 324,000 jobs during the 
last 5 months. Gas and food prices are at or above record highs. 
Foreclosures continue to ravish communities across the country. Over 28 
million Americans are receiving food stamps--an all-time high.
  The Congressional Budget Office estimates that this bill will provide 
benefits to 3.8 million unemployed workers. I urge all of my colleagues 
to exercise common sense and compassion and provide much needed support 
to working families by voting ``yes.''

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