[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 135 (Wednesday, September 23, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2337-E2338]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION EXTENSION ACT OF 2009

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON-LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 22, 2009

  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. 
Res. 3548, ``to amend the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 to 
provide for the temporary availability

[[Page E2338]]

of certain additional emergency unemployment compensation, and for 
other purposes.'' Though the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 
2009 has allowed us to see the light at the end of the tunnel on our 
road to recovery, we still have a long road ahead. H. Res. 3548 allows 
States to extend their helping hand to pull America out of this deep 
recession.
  In the midst of what has been categorized as the longest and deepest 
economic downturn since the Great Depression, many Americans still find 
themselves struggling to get by. Although the unemployment rates in 
some areas around the country have shown signs of leveling off, in my 
home State of Texas, many are still fighting to get on the right track. 
American's of all ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds are tired 
of struggling to feed, clothe, and provide shelter their families. I 
cite my mentor and predecessor Barbara Jordan who noted, ``We are a 
people trying not only to solve the problems of the present: 
unemployment, inflation . . . but we are attempting on a larger scale 
to fulfill the promise of America.''
  With an unemployment rate in Texas of 8.2 percent, which is just 
below the national average, we in Texas are working diligently in a 
legislative capacity for the benefit of our constituents. The 
unemployment rate of my home district of Houston is just above the 
state average, at 8.4 percent, and I will not cease to take every 
effort to combat the problem. Over this past weekend we held our 2nd 
job fair in three months, where we called upon over 50 public and 
private sector representatives to bring employment opportunities to 
those in need throughout the Houston area. I saw lives change that 
weekend. The American people need a helping hand now; it is not time of 
partisan antics that delay assistance to those whom we represent.
  H. Res. 3548 will allow States to extend the assistance offered to 
their unemployed constituents so that families may continue their 
pursuit of the American dream. H. Res. 3548 sets forth a formula for 
determining if a state is in an extended benefit period and authorizes 
a state to pay extended compensation to an eligible individual before 
any additional Emergency Unemployment Compensation, EUC, if such 
individual claimed extended compensation for at least one week of 
unemployment after the exhaustion of additional EUC.

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