[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 187 (Wednesday, December 7, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S8394]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         MUST-PASS LEGISLATION

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I take this time because we are in the 
last, we hope, few days before we adjourn for the holidays. There are 
certain pieces of legislation we must get done before we leave town. We 
call these the must-pass bills that we have to make sure are enacted 
before Congress adjourns for the year.
  One, of course, is what President Obama has been talking about. We 
need to deal with the payroll tax issue. We don't want to see middle-
income families finding that on January 1 their paychecks--the actual 
amount of money they take home--are reduced. During this economic time, 
we want to make sure the money remains constant, and we don't want to 
see additional burdens placed on middle-income families.
  We all know we have to deal with the Medicare extenders, including 
the physicians problem. We have a flawed system for reimbursing 
physicians that causes a substantial reduction in rates physicians 
receive--a 27-percent reduction. That would affect not only the 
fairness of our reimbursement system to our doctors, but it would also 
affect the access Medicare patients have to physicians. So we need to 
absolutely take care of that issue.
  We have the Omnibus appropriations bill. I certainly hope that is 
going to be an appropriations bill so we can give some predictability 
through the remainder of this fiscal year. We have to get that done 
before we adjourn for the holidays.
  We also need to pass the tax extenders. I know the Presiding Officer 
has been very actively involved in the energy extenders, knowing full 
well the importance not only to New Mexico but to our entire country. 
Those extenders need to be passed because, if not, we lose jobs. This 
involves the ability to move forward with sustainable energy projects 
that will mean jobs in our communities and energy self-sufficiency for 
America.
  But I wish to take this time to talk about another must-pass bill 
before we adjourn for the year; that is, the extension of the 
unemployment insurance. It is absolutely essential that we get that 
done before Congress adjourns for the year.
  I think we have to make it clear that this extension will mean 
providing the same number of weeks of unemployment insurance for those 
who are currently in the system--those who have lost their jobs--that 
we have had for the last couple of years for those who have been caught 
up in this economic downturn. We are not extending beyond what the 
unemployed have already received. So we are basically extending the 
current policy because we are still in a very difficult economic 
circumstance.
  For every job that is open, there are four people who apply for it. 
So it is very difficult for someone who is unemployed to be able to 
find employment. As I know and as the Presiding Officer knows, if a 
person is unemployed and looking for work, it is much more difficult.
  For all of those reasons, the right thing to do is to acknowledge 
that the number of weeks of benefits should not be reduced at this 
period, that those who are currently in the system who have lost their 
jobs should be able to get the same number of benefits that earlier 
unemployed people were able to get during this economic period. That is 
what this legislation would do.
  Unemployment insurance is an insurance program. During good times, we 
pay more into the system. During economic downturns, we take the money 
out of the system. It is countercyclical so that we help our economy as 
well as help our families.
  This is the right thing to do. This is the only lifeline for many 
families. This represents their ability to be able to put food on the 
table for their families or to keep their home from going into 
foreclosure or to pay their rent or to take care of their family needs. 
This is the right thing to do from the point of view of families who 
have been caught up in this economic period.
  It also, by the way, would affect millions of our families. Over the 
next year, if we were not to extend the unemployment insurance 
benefits, it is estimated that 6 million families would be denied their 
full benefits that they are receiving currently--6 million families--
and each one is a family in our community who would be adversely 
affected.
  It also helps our economy. Mark Zandi, who was the economic adviser 
for then-Presidential candidate Senator McCain, said that for every 
dollar we put out into the economy for unemployment benefits, we get 
back $1.61 in our economy. The multiplier effect of unemployment 
compensation is positive to our economy. So, once again, when we are 
trying to stimulate job growth, this helps us. How does it help us? The 
people who receive unemployment benefits visit our local shops, our 
small businesses in our communities, keeping our economy moving, 
keeping our path forward to job growth.
  For all of those reasons--for the fact that it is the right thing to 
do for families and for what the intent of unemployment insurance is 
all about--it is the right thing for us to do because it helps our 
economy. This must be on our list of must-pass legislation. We have to 
get this done before we adjourn for the year.
  With that, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Hawaii.

                          ____________________