[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 177 (Friday, November 18, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2106]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




INTRODUCING THE NATIONAL COMMISSION ON EMPLOYMENT AND ECONOMIC SECURITY 
                              ACT OF 2011

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                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, November 18, 2011

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the 
National Commission on Employment and Economic Security Act of 2011.
  This legislation is a necessary and vital investment for our nation's 
workforce and their families. It will establish a national commission 
to examine issues of economic and psychological insecurity within our 
workforce that have been caused by employment displacement. Further, it 
will propose solutions, including recommendations for legislative and 
administrative action, to Congress and the President.
  Since the recession began in December 2007, more than 5.1 million 
jobs have been lost. In October 2011, the unemployment rate remains 
firm at 9 percent, and it is much higher in many states like Florida, 
at 10.6 percent, and it has topped 11 percent in Michigan, California, 
South Carolina, and the District of Columbia.
  Over the past year, unemployment rates have increased in all 50 
states and the District of Columbia. The scope of the economic downturn 
is so large that its impact is felt virtually everywhere along the 
economic spectrum.
  While Americans lose their jobs and their incomes shrink, too often, 
they face the loss of their family's health insurance and, subsequent 
to the loss of income, even their housing. According to an American 
Psychological Association September 2010 report, money (76 percent), 
work (70 percent) and the economy (65 percent) remain the most 
frequently cited sources of stress for Americans. Perhaps even more 
disturbing, calls to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline have 
increased by more than 72 percent from 2007 to 2010.
  Mr. Speaker, the mental health of the American worker will be 
integral on the road to economic recovery. Congress must face this 
problem head on and help the very people who are facing unemployment, 
loss of health insurance, home foreclosure, stress, increased violence, 
and depression. It is time that we create this Commission and get our 
nation back on track.
  I believe that we have a responsibility to ensure the greatest 
possible assistance to our nation's workforce, whose commitment to 
economic participation has been a defining feature of the cultural 
fabric of our country. I urge my colleagues to support this 
legislation.

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