[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 32 (Wednesday, February 29, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E278]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             PAYROLL TAX CUT CONFERENCE REPORT (H.R. 3630)

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. GARY C. PETERS

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 29, 2012

  Mr. PETERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my deep concerns 
with the recently released conference report by the Payroll Tax Cut 
Conference Committee. While I am pleased that enacting this conference 
report will stop a tax hike on middle class families by extending the 
Payroll Tax Cut through the end of the year, I strongly oppose pairing 
this must-pass provision with legislation that will slash the number of 
available weeks of unemployment benefits for American workers. I also 
find it deeply troubling that the text of legislation cutting 
unemployment benefits for millions of Americans only became available 
for public review less than 24 hours before a vote, despite the pledge 
by House Republicans to make bills publicly reviewable for 72 hours 
before a vote.
  Republicans are forcing an unfair choice between tax cuts for the 
middle class and fully maintaining the safety net for unemployed 
workers. This is not a choice Congress should have to make, or that the 
American public should accept, especially when House Republicans in 
their Pledge to America promised to ``end the practice of packaging 
unpopular bills with `must-pass' legislation to circumvent the will of 
the American people'' and to ``advance major legislation one issue at a 
time.''
  The long-term unemployment crisis and the need for a full extension 
of unemployment benefits deserve Congress's full attention. This is why 
I led 70 of my colleagues in writing the Chairs of the conference 
committee along with House and Senate Leadership to urge them to 
include a full extension of unemployment benefits though the end of 
this year. While our economy is showing signs of real recovery with 23 
consecutive months of job growth, the fact remains that our nation is 
experiencing an unprecedented long-term unemployment crisis.
  Unemployment benefits are a proven lifeline to families that they 
rely on to help pay for necessities such as rent, groceries, and 
utilities. Expansions to the unemployment insurance program enacted in 
the Recovery Act and subsequent legislation in 2009 and 2010 kept over 
3 million Americans out of poverty in 2010, including over 900,000 
children.
  Unfortunately, the harm that cuts to federal unemployment benefits 
make to working families is amplified when states, such as Michigan, 
enact legislation slashing state unemployment benefits. Last year, 
Governor Snyder signed House Bill 4408 into law. While this legislation 
included a necessary technical fix to preserve Michigan's access to the 
federal Extended Benefits (EB) program, it paired this minor change 
with a harmful and misguided reduction in state unemployment benefits 
from 26 to 20 weeks, the lowest in the country. Not only does this cut 
6 weeks of state benefits, more importantly it triggers a proportional 
reduction in federal benefits.
  Under the Payroll Tax Cut Conference Report, this 6 week change to 
state benefits will result in Michigan giving up between 11 and 14 
weeks of 100% federally funded benefits this year and Michigan's 
unemployed workers losing access to more weeks of federal benefits than 
any state in the nation.
  Our economy is moving in the right direction and we can't afford to 
jeopardize middle class families' livelihoods and our recovery by 
risking the expiration of the Payroll Tax Cut, but we certainly cannot 
afford to ignore the long-term unemployment in Michigan and across the 
United States.

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