[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 16]
[House]
[Pages 22273-22281]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION EXTENSION ACT OF 2009

  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 3548) to amend the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 to 
provide for the temporary availability of certain additional emergency 
unemployment compensation, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 3548

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Unemployment Compensation 
     Extension Act of 2009''.

     SEC. 2. ADDITIONAL EMERGENCY UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION.

       (a) In General.--Section 4002 of the Supplemental 
     Appropriations Act, 2008 (Public Law 110-252; 26 U.S.C. 3304 
     note) is amended by adding at the end the following:
       ``(d) Further Additional Emergency Unemployment 
     Compensation.--
       ``(1) In general.--If, at the time that the amount added to 
     an individual's account under subsection (c)(1) (hereinafter 
     `additional emergency unemployment compensation') is 
     exhausted or at any time thereafter, such individual's State 
     is in an extended benefit period (as determined under 
     paragraph (2)), such account shall be further augmented by an 
     amount (hereinafter `further additional emergency 
     unemployment compensation') equal to the lesser of--
       ``(A) 50 percent of the total amount of regular 
     compensation (including dependents' allowances) payable to 
     the individual during the individual's benefit year under the 
     State law; or
       ``(B) 13 times the individual's average weekly benefit 
     amount (as determined under subsection (b)(2)) for the 
     benefit year.
       ``(2) Extended benefit period.--For purposes of paragraph 
     (1), a State shall be considered to be in an extended benefit 
     period, as of any given time, if such a period would then be 
     in effect for such State under the Federal-State Extended 
     Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970 if--
       ``(A) section 203(d) of such Act--
       ``(i) were applied by substituting `6' for `5' each place 
     it appears; and
       ``(ii) did not include the requirement under paragraph 
     (1)(A) thereof; or
       ``(B) section 203(f) of such Act were applied to such 
     State--
       ``(i) regardless of whether or not the State had by law 
     provided for its application;
       ``(ii) by substituting `8.5' for `6.5' in paragraph 
     (1)(A)(i) thereof; and
       ``(iii) as if it did not include the requirement under 
     paragraph (1)(A)(ii) thereof.
       ``(3) Coordination rule.--Notwithstanding an election under 
     section 4001(e) by a State to provide for the payment of 
     emergency unemployment compensation prior to extended 
     compensation, such State may pay extended compensation to an 
     otherwise eligible individual prior to any further additional 
     emergency unemployment compensation, if such individual 
     claimed extended compensation for at least 1 week of 
     unemployment after the exhaustion of additional emergency 
     unemployment compensation.
       ``(4) Limitation.--The account of an individual may be 
     augmented not more than once under this subsection.''.
       (b) Conforming Amendment to Non-augmentation Rule.--Section 
     4007(b)(2) of the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 
     (Public Law 110-252; 26 U.S.C. 3304 note) is amended--
       (1) by striking ``then section 4002(c)'' and inserting 
     ``then subsections (c) and (d) of section 4002''; and
       (2) by striking ``paragraph (2) of such section)'' and 
     inserting ``paragraph (2) of such subsection (c) or (d) (as 
     the case may be))''.
       (c) Transfer of Funds.--Section 4004(e)(1) of the 
     Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 (Public Law 110-252; 26 
     U.S.C. 3304 note) is amended by striking ``Act;'' and 
     inserting ``Act and the Unemployment Compensation Extension 
     Act of 2009;''.
       (d) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section 
     shall apply as if included in the enactment of the 
     Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008, except that no amount 
     shall be payable by virtue of such amendments with respect to 
     any week of unemployment commencing before the date of the 
     enactment of this Act.

     SEC. 3. 0.2 PERCENT FUTA SURTAX.

       (a) In General.--Section 3301 of the Internal Revenue Code 
     of 1986 (relating to rate of tax) is amended--
       (1) by striking ``through 2009'' in paragraph (1) and 
     inserting ``through 2010'', and
       (2) by striking ``calendar year 2010'' in paragraph (2) and 
     inserting ``calendar year 2011''.
       (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section 
     shall apply to wages paid after December 31, 2009.

     SEC. 4. REPORTING OF FIRST DAY OF EARNINGS TO DIRECTORY OF 
                   NEW HIRES.

       (a) In General.--Section 453A(b)(1)(A) of the Social 
     Security Act (42 U.S.C. 653a(b)(1)(A)) is amended by 
     inserting ``the date services for remuneration were first 
     performed by the employee,'' after ``of the employee,''.
       (b) Reporting Format and Method.--Section 453A(c) of the 
     Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 653a(c)) is amended by 
     inserting ``, to the extent practicable,'' after ``Each 
     report required by subsection (b) shall''.
       (c) Effective Date.--
       (1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), the amendments 
     made by this section shall take effect six months after the 
     date of enactment of this Act.
       (2) Compliance transition period.--If the Secretary of 
     Health and Human Services determines that State legislation 
     (other than legislation appropriating funds) is required in 
     order for a State plan under part D of title IV of the Social 
     Security Act to meet the additional requirements imposed by 
     the amendment made by subsection (a), the plan shall not be 
     regarded as failing to meet such requirements before the 
     first day of the second calendar quarter beginning after the 
     close of the first regular session of the State legislature 
     that begins after the effective date of such amendment. If 
     the State has a 2-year legislative session, each year of the 
     session is deemed to be a separate regular session of the 
     State legislature.

     SEC. 5. COLLECTION IN ALL STATES OF UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION 
                   DUE TO FRAUD.

       (a) In General.--Subsection (f) of section 6402 of the 
     Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by striking 
     paragraph (3) and redesignating paragraphs (4) through (8) as 
     paragraphs (3) through (7), respectively.
       (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by this section 
     shall apply to refunds payable on or after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Washington (Mr. McDermott) and the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Davis) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Washington.


                             General Leave

  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous materials on H.R. 3548.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Washington?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, across America, there are people who are 
hanging on by a thin, economic lifeline called unemployment insurance. 
Without the passage of this bill, that thread will break for over 1 
million workers before the end of this year, plunging them and their 
families into an economic abyss and threatening to reverse the positive 
signs we are beginning to see in the economy. We can prevent that this 
afternoon by passing this bill.
  This legislation will provide an additional 13 weeks of extended 
benefits to individuals in hard-hit States, specifically those with a 
3-month average unemployment rate at or above 8.5 percent. It's 
important to note that this legislation is fully offset and does not 
increase the deficit.
  At the beginning of this year, America felt the bare-knuckled brunt 
of what has already been called the Great

[[Page 22274]]

Recession. Nearly three-quarters of a million jobs were lost in the 
month of January alone, and we met the crisis head on.
  The steps we took earlier this year helped us turn away from an 
economic catastrophe and toward recovery. Don't take my word for it. 
Former John McCain economic adviser Mark Zandi said, ``Without the 
stimulus, job losses would be measurably worse.'' But even as economic 
indicators show improvement, we know we cannot replace 7 million lost 
jobs overnight.

                              {time}  1545

  Recovery will take time. There are still six unemployed workers for 
every available job, so extended unemployment compensation isn't a 
convenience; it's a necessity.
  Since I introduced this legislation 2 weeks ago, my office phones 
have been ringing nonstop with calls from Americans all across the 
country who have exhausted or soon will exhaust their benefits, asking, 
When is it going to pass?
  I heard it from paralegals who could not find a job because attorneys 
are competing against them for employment; from contractors who are 
still reeling from the collapse of the housing market; and from school 
teachers whose local school districts could not afford to keep them on 
the payroll.
  Without quick action, they will become unable to afford their 
mortgages or health coverage. Providing these Americans with a modest 
economic lifeline is not only the humane thing to do, but it's in the 
economic interest of the country.
  Every UI dollar generates $1.64 in positive impact in the economy. 
That supports existing jobs and our fragile housing market. In other 
words, UI, unemployment insurance, is a win for every American.
  I urge all Members to support this bipartisan, budget-neutral bill to 
extend unemployment benefits.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3548, the Unemployment 
Compensation Extension Act. This legislation provides up to 3 months' 
additional Federal extended unemployment benefits to long-term 
unemployed individuals in States where the unemployment rate is 8.5 
percent or higher. That's on top of the 18 months of State and Federal 
unemployment benefits already available in places with unemployment at 
those levels. With the passage of this bill, folks who are unemployed 
could potentially receive up to 21 months of combined unemployment 
benefits.
  Right now, more than half of the States will benefit from this bill. 
An incredible 29 States are struggling with unemployment rates of 8.5 
percent or higher. In my home State of Kentucky, the unemployment rate 
is 11.1 percent, leaving more than one out of every 10 Kentuckians out 
of work.
  That's a staggering number. The fact that we're here today discussing 
a measure that will provide Americans with nearly 2 years' worth of 
unemployment benefits is yet another sign of the failure of this 
administration's stimulus plan to create jobs. Nothing establishes that 
more clearly than the economic trends in States like the Commonwealth 
of Kentucky.
  Since February, 2009, when the stimulus law was signed, almost 38,000 
Kentuckians have been added to the unemployment rolls, and the 
unemployment rate has surged from 9.3 percent in February, to 11.1 
percent today.
  Over the past year, nearly 123,000 Kentuckians have claimed emergency 
unemployment benefits after their traditional benefit allowances 
expired. Every week, between 800 and 1,200 Kentucky residents are 
running out of unemployment benefits.
  Earlier this month, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear sent a letter to 
the Kentucky delegation stating that the loss of unemployment benefits 
would be devastating to many families. It will only sink Kentucky 
further behind in the race toward economic recovery. State and Federal 
unemployment accounts are already drained, and we are headed for more 
than $100 billion deficits in these supposed ``trust funds'' by the end 
of 2010, with $200 billion deficits by the end of 2012.
  All of that spending will come at a huge price, which could require a 
doubling or more of State payroll taxes and possibly Federal tax hikes 
as well. Payroll tax hikes mean a tax on jobs--and ultimately on job 
creation--which brings us back to the real point: jobs.
  In February, the administration promised its stimulus plan would 
create 3.5 million jobs. We're still waiting. While the administration 
claims to have ``created or saved'' 1 million jobs, in the real world, 
Americans have witnessed the continued destruction of 3 million jobs 
since the beginning of this year.
  The administration promised with its stimulus bill that national 
unemployment would not exceed 8 percent. It's now 9.7 percent 
nationally, and the President has said he now expects it to exceed 10 
percent by the end of the year.
  Earlier this month, Larry Summers, Chair of the President's National 
Economic Council, said that the level of unemployment is unacceptably 
high and will remain so for a number of years.
  It's time to provide much needed help and assistance to millions of 
Americans who are struggling in States with outrageous unemployment 
rates. They should not be made to suffer for the failure of this 
administration's policies that have failed to create the promised jobs.
  I support these extended benefits in H.R. 3548 to help long-term 
unemployed workers in Kentucky and other States where jobs are hardest 
to find. But we need to move beyond this secondary debate to the 
primary task of creating jobs, instead of undermining job creation. 
Until we do that, we're missing the point. What Americans want are 
jobs, not handouts from the government. But that's sure not what 
they're getting right now.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McDERMOTT. I yield 1 minute to the majority leader, the gentleman 
from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer).
  Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman from Washington, the Chair of the 
subcommittee, for yielding. I thank Mr. Davis for his support in 
facilitating this coming to the floor.
  Mr. Speaker, 8 months into the 111th Congress and the Obama 
Presidency, it's clear to me, and I think others, that the economic 
policies that we've put in place are helping to pull our country out of 
the recession.
  This month, the Blue Chip economic survey confirmed that 81 percent 
of leading economists believe that the recession is over. Federal 
Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke recently stated that he agrees.
  Nonpartisan economic analysts agree that the actions taken by the 
Obama administration and our Congress, including the American Recovery 
and Reinvestment Act, were critical to stabilizing our economy and 
putting us back on a path to recovery.
  The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, Moody's, and the Council 
of Economic Advisers all concluded that our economy has approximately 1 
million more jobs than it would have had if the Recovery Act had not 
been passed.
  Last week, Mr. Speaker, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities 
found that the Recovery Act kept 6 million Americans from falling below 
the poverty line and reduced the severity of poverty for 33 million 
Americans.
  Whether we're Republicans or Democrats, those are results we can all 
cheer because they mean economic security to the people we represent.
  However, Mr. Speaker, it's clear to all of us that unemployment 
remains a problem for millions of American families. The headlines may 
say that our recession is over; but for those individuals who remain 
out of work, this is still a time of hardship and struggle.
  According to the CBO, it has also become clear that the hole we are 
climbing out of was deeper than we knew. Now we know that the economy 
was in even worse shape than economists realized when President Obama 
took office in January.
  Though unemployment continues to strain families in all of our 
districts,

[[Page 22275]]

job losses have been steadily decreasing the last 3 months under this 
administration, with last month's figures the best in over a year.
  But while job losses are slowing, it will take some time before we 
can reverse the losses that economists agree began nearly 2 years ago 
and start creating enough jobs for people who have been out of work.
  Long-term unemployment, Mr. Speaker, remains at its highest rate 
since we began measuring in 1948. Over 33 percent of the total 
unemployed have been out of work for more than 26 weeks, thereby 
requiring this legislation.
  Even as our country emerges from an economic crisis, hundreds of 
thousands of Americans and their families face a more personal crisis. 
At the end of this month, if we do not act, their unemployment 
insurance will run out, even though they continue to look for work. 
Many of these workers are middle class Americans. Many of them lost 
their jobs without notice.
  According to a recent unemployment survey conducted by the Heldrich 
Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers: ``Six in 10 of those whose 
employer had let them go had no advanced warning, adding to the pain 
for many. Nearly four in 10 said they had been employed by their 
company for more than 3 years and one in 10 for more than a decade.''
  In other words, Americans who had what they thought were stable 
jobs--and made commitments based on these jobs, like mortgages, college 
payments, auto payments--found themselves out of work without warning, 
leaving them and their families in dire straits.
  For their sake, this bill extends for up to 13 weeks the unemployment 
benefits of more than 300,000 American workers. Our fellow citizens, 
through no fault of their own, find themselves without a job, without a 
livelihood, without a way to support themselves and their families.
  I know that some argue that unemployment insurance can be an 
incentive not to seek a job at all. But that argument doesn't hold 
water for the workers who are the target of this bill: workers in the 
States with unemployment rates over 8.5 percent, the States in which an 
honest effort to find work is most likely to be frustrating.
  We chose to target those workers who are still having difficulty 
finding a job, not because they're failing to give their best effort, 
but because the economic climate of their State is still difficult.
  Very frankly, Mr. Speaker, my State will not qualify. That's the good 
news. But for those unemployed, the bad news, perhaps. But not only is 
supporting job-seeking workers the right thing to do; extending 
unemployment insurance benefits all of us. That's because the money 
provided is quickly spent on necessities, which provides an immediate 
boost to local economies.
  Mr. Speaker, an extension of unemployment insurance is supported by a 
bipartisan coalition of Governors, who understand its benefits for 
their economies and their families. They write that the unemployment 
benefits have ``offered relief each month to struggling families across 
the country and have played a critical role in stabilizing the 
economy,'' and that these benefits, they say, must be extended. I would 
also add that because this bill is fully paid for, it doesn't add to 
the deficit.
  In 8 months, we have come a long way, a long way in recovering from 
the recession inherited by this administration. But we cannot forget, 
we must not forget those whom the recovery has not yet reached, which 
is why I urge my colleagues to support this important bill, and why I 
thank Mr. McDermott and Mr. Davis for their leadership in bringing this 
bill to the floor in an appropriate time frame so that we can get 
relief to those people before their benefits run out.
  Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I will insert in the Record a 
recent article about an innovative and bipartisan Georgia program 
designed to help unemployed workers get back on the job quickly. The 
program is called Georgia Works. It allows unemployed workers to go to 
work for selected businesses for up to 24 hours a week for 8 weeks.
  Unemployment benefits serve as the workers' salaries and the State 
pays an additional stipend of up to $300 a month to cover child care, 
transportation, and related work costs.
  Employers win because they get to test out qualified workers they 
might hire. Workers get a solid foot in the door to a new job and 
maintain and build work skills. And taxpayers get lower taxes in the 
form of shorter unemployment benefits and a quicker return to work.
  This is a win-win program that other States would do well to 
replicate to help workers get back to work more quickly.

               Ga. Work Program Grows, Attracts Followers

                         (By Christine Vestal)

       As states struggle to help legions of jobless workers find 
     employment, some are seeking advice from Georgia, where a 
     growing number of people are landing jobs as a result of free 
     tryouts sponsored by the state unemployment system. The 
     program, dubbed Georgia Works, is so simple that experts say 
     other states should have no problem replicating it.
       ``It's a brilliant little program. There's no cost to the 
     employer and the only cost to the state is a small stipend 
     for transportation,'' said Don Peitersen, workforce director 
     for the American Institute for Full Employment, which advises 
     states on employment issues. ``I go out and actively recruit 
     states to recreate the Georgia model,'' he said. Officials 
     from at least 15 states have told Georgia's labor department 
     they are considering the option.
       Started in 2003, Georgia Works allows people collecting 
     unemployment benefits to work for selected businesses up to 
     24 hours a week for eight weeks at no cost to the employers. 
     When not working, unemployment recipients are expected to 
     search for other jobs.
       Unemployment benefit checks serve as the workers' salaries 
     and the state pays for workers' compensation insurance when 
     needed. The state also gives job seekers as much as $240 to 
     cover child-care, transportation or clothing costs--a stipend 
     slated to increase to $300 this month.
       All employers have to do is certify that they intend to 
     immediately hire for the position and follow up with a 
     performance evaluation, whether they hire the worker or not.
       Georgia considers the program valuable on-the-job training, 
     but unlike other training programs, it is not federally 
     funded under the Workforce Investment Act. As a result, 
     Georgia Works is open to all job seekers, not just low-
     income, disabled or dislocated workers who qualify under 
     federal rules. In addition, there is no need for 
     participating companies to fill out reams of paper to be 
     certified. In Georgia, no legislation was required to launch 
     the unique program.
       Critics argue that the unemployment insurance system that 
     funds Georgia Works was not intended to help businesses 
     create jobs, but federal officials say they approve. ``It's 
     an innovative program and it's a good one. We think it's a 
     plus all the way around,'' said the U.S. Department of 
     Labor's southeastern director Pete Fleming.
       Under the program, job seekers get a chance to show 
     employers their skills and businesses can test prospective 
     workers before hiring them. So far, more than 3,000 Georgians 
     have landed permanent jobs through the program.
       With the recession creating a much larger pool of 
     unemployed workers, Labor Commissioner Michael L. Thurmond 
     aims to quadruple that number over the next year. ``Stimulus 
     job creation is not sustainable. Georgia's economy will not 
     rebound unless we jump-start private-sector hiring,'' 
     Thurmond told Stateline.org.
       He said plans are under way to make Georgia Works the 
     state's lead re-employment strategy by aggressively 
     recruiting businesses to get on board and offering job tryout 
     options to every job seeker.
       In its six years of operation, Georgia's program has grown 
     primarily through word of mouth, with some job applicants 
     proposing it to prospective employers as a way to get their 
     foot in the door. Successful job seekers have also 
     recommended Georgia Works to unemployed friends, and 
     workforce agencies have proposed it to a small number of 
     businesses and unemployment recipients.
       Under the expansion, Thurmond says the state will post 
     signs saying ``Ask me about Georgia Works'' at all workforce 
     centers, frontline staff will offer the option in initial 
     interviews with job seekers, and a marketing campaign will 
     target some 6,000 small- and medium-sized businesses across a 
     broad spectrum of industries, including retail, hospitality, 
     construction, manufacturing, transportation and public 
     utilities.
       In the process, Thurmond says, the program will help 
     struggling companies get back on their feet and start hiring.
       As in the rest of the nation, layoffs have subsided in 
     Georgia, but thousands of jobs remain unfilled, in part 
     because employers

[[Page 22276]]

     are uncertain about their economic future. Even as the number 
     of jobless workers soared to nearly 15 million nationwide 
     last month, some 2.6 million jobs remained open, according to 
     the U.S. Department of Labor.
       By taking some of the risk and expense out of hiring, 
     Thurmond says Georgia can leverage unemployment trust fund 
     dollars to stimulate job growth. Instead of simply serving as 
     income support, benefit checks become a job seeker's 
     investment in new employment and an opportunity for companies 
     to lower the cost of hiring and training. ``That's two for 
     the price of one,'' Thurmond said.
       But advocates for workers say the unemployment trust fund 
     was not designed to subsidize jobs. Instead, the insurance is 
     intended to support people while they search for the best 
     possible work. ``I don't buy the idea that pushing unemployed 
     workers to fill just any opening is better than searching for 
     a suitable job,'' said Andrew Stettner, deputy director of 
     the National Employment Law Center, which advocates for 
     workers.
       Still, some workers say they would rather get back to work 
     quickly than live with the uncertainty and frustration of a 
     drawn-out job search.
       Randall Crenshaw was one of those people. At 41, he lost 
     his job of 22 years last January at hair-products company 
     Goody Products, in Columbus, Ga. After two months of job 
     searching, he said, ``I was in shock because I was used to 
     getting up and going to work every morning.'' So, when his 
     adviser at the employment center suggested he enter the 
     Georgia Works program, Crenshaw jumped at the opportunity.
       ``There were about 50 of us in the room when he invited us 
     to stay after class if we were interested in hearing more 
     about the program. Only two or three people took him up on 
     it. So many people got up and walked out. I was just amazed 
     by that,'' Crenshaw said.
       Acknowledging the program is not for everyone, Thurmond 
     says the soon-to-be announced expansion will set a goal of 
     enrolling 10 percent of the state's approximately 200,000 
     jobless workers. With the program's historic success rate of 
     placing more than 60 percent of participants in permanent 
     positions, the program should result in new jobs for some 
     12,000 unemployed workers.
       Crenshaw got the job he tried out for at a home health-care 
     company in Columbus, and his salary of $35,000 is only $2,500 
     less than he was making in his last job. He said he'd 
     recommend Georgia Works to anyone.
       According to data from the state's department of labor, 
     Georgia Works has helped lower the average amount of time it 
     takes jobless workers to find new employment, reducing the 
     draw on the trust fund by $6 million. After program expenses, 
     including worker's compensation insurance and stipends, the 
     net savings as of March 2009 was $3.7 million.
       The U.S. Department of Labor maintains state-by-state data 
     on the average length of time unemployed workers remain on 
     benefits, but allows states to set their own rules limiting 
     the number of weeks each worker can receive a check. While 
     experts consider average duration of benefits a measure of 
     state performance in helping people find work, the 
     availability of jobs is a bigger factor.
       Georgia currently requires participants in the Georgia 
     Works program to have at least 14 weeks of state unemployment 
     benefits left. That way, if they land a job during the eight-
     week trial, it will save the state money on benefits. But 
     Thurmond says he plans to broaden the program to include 
     people closer to the end of their state benefits and those 
     already on federally funded extensions. In addition, the 
     trial period may be shortened to six weeks, since most 
     companies hire applicants they like in the fourth to sixth 
     week, so they won't take a job somewhere else.
       Although stanching the drain on the unemployment trust fund 
     is still a goal, Thurmond said he is more concerned about 
     spurring private-sector hiring and reviving the state's 
     economy.
       Georgia has been cited by two organizations--UWC Strategic 
     Services on Unemployment & Workers' Compensation and the 
     American Institute for Full Employment--for its innovative 
     approach to helping people on unemployment benefits find 
     work.
       ``We're in an unprecedented job market so it's a unique 
     opportunity to see if we can make this work,'' Thurmond said. 
     ``Oftentimes in government you have to step back and 
     recalibrate. It's not so much a new idea, but an improvement 
     on a good one. We're flying this airplane while we build 
     it.''
       The biggest objection Thurmond said he hears from other 
     states and potential business partners is that the program 
     sounds ``too good to be true.'' It involves scant paper work 
     and a minimal investment.
       But simple, low-cost ideas are often the best. ``One of the 
     great strengths of the unemployment insurance system is that 
     states provide 50 separate incubators of innovation and 
     change,'' Fleming of the labor department said.

  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McDERMOTT. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. 
Levin).
  Mr. LEVIN. It is vital this bill be before us, and I congratulate our 
chairman and our ranking member for bringing it here. They and our 
leader have outlined the facts: almost 125 million unemployed, the 
highest since 1939, and about one-third have been long-term unemployed 
6 months or more. In August, 27 States saw their unemployment rates 
increase, and 42 States saw losses in jobs.
  So I urge we have three alternatives. We can say to the millions who 
are unemployed: get looking; get lost; or you're getting some help.
  Get looking. They're looking. They're looking. It's a requirement of 
unemployment comp.
  I want to read something that was said over the phone to us this 
morning. A gentleman by the name of Larry Szpanelewski from Madison 
Heights, Michigan, out of work since May of 2008. He has 10 weeks of 
benefits left, and if we don't extend it, he'll exhaust those benefits 
before the end of the year.
  This was taken down by my office: ``You know, I never thought this 
would happen to me. I have never been unemployed before. This economy 
is unlike anything I could ever imagine. I am very grateful for each 
extension of benefits. But I really want to get back to work. There is 
this misconception that people like me are sitting back and waiting for 
the next unemployment check. I really, really want to get back to work. 
I want to get back to doing my part and earning a paycheck. This 
unemployment is agony; it really is. I'm just waiting for the right 
phone call, Come to work.''

                              {time}  1600

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman from Michigan has 
expired.
  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 additional minute to the 
gentleman.
  Mr. LEVIN. Thank you. And I will repeat what he said to conclude, I 
am just waiting for the right phone call, Come to work.
  So I don't think this first alternative, ``get looking,'' applies. 
He, like millions of others, are looking. Six for every job. I don't 
think we can say to Larry Szpanelewski or the millions of others, ``Get 
lost.'' That is not this country. So what we're saying today is, You're 
going to be getting some help. You've worked for it. He worked 20 
years, a steelworker, and I think never unemployed before. I'm glad 
this is bipartisan. This needs a bipartisan response in the best 
traditions of this House and in the best traditions of our beloved 
country.
  Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance 
of my time.
  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Davis).
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman 
McDermott for yielding. I also want to commend him and the ranking 
member for expeditiously getting this legislation to the floor. Mr. 
Speaker, when President Obama took office, we were in the middle of an 
economic recession which showed itself for real in December of 2007. 
Notwithstanding economic recovery activities, stimulus activities, 
green initiatives and other efforts that are beginning to take hold, we 
still hear the song. And I turned my radio on just the other day, and I 
heard a song from probably the seventies that said, Every morning about 
this time, she bring my breakfast to the bed crying, get a job.
  It said, When I read the papers, I read it through and through, 
trying to see if there is any work for me to do.
  Unfortunately for many people, there is no work for them to do at the 
moment, but we know that the time is coming. But in the meantime, they 
need help. And the help that we can give them today is the help of 
knowing that their unemployment benefits are extended. That's the very 
least that we can do while we continue to work to try to make sure that 
our economy regroups, re-energizes itself so that that song does not 
have to be played, ``Get a Job.''
  Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance 
of my time.

[[Page 22277]]


  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I have no more speakers. So if Mr. Davis 
wants to speak to end, and I will speak, we will be done.
  Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, as I said in my opening 
statement, I truly urge support for H.R. 3548, to extend benefits to 
help long-term unemployed workers in States with the highest 
unemployment rates, which include my home State of Kentucky. We also 
need to redouble our efforts to focus on the task of creating jobs, 
especially like those that would be coming from allowing Americans to 
take an all-of-the-above energy policy to create jobs across the board. 
As our Democratic majority leader in the State House says, If we were 
to do that, we could have a third industrial revolution across the 
heartland.
  What Americans really want are jobs, not handouts. Even as we help 
those in places where jobs are the hardest to find, promoting job 
growth should be our broader goal and our number one priority as we 
move forward in this Congress.
  With that, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by thanking the minority 
on the subcommittee for being supportive of bringing this bill out 
here. We did not go through some of the usual procedures. We brought it 
out straight to the floor. I think that their cooperation should be 
recognized because it is a reflection of the fact that everybody in 
this House cares about the American people. We all want people to have 
a job, and we want them to have some way to sustain themselves until 
this economy begins to open up again.
  One of the interesting things about this period in our economic 
history, as has been pointed out by some economists, there have been 
three real recessions. One was 1930, and in that recession, many 
workers never returned to the work they did before. Rather than going 
back to the farms, they moved to the cities, and that was a major shift 
in what was happening. In the 1980 recession, many workers were able to 
go back to the work that they had done before. The question that our 
country faces right now is: Will we be able to go back to what we had 
before, or will we create a new economy? And I think that this bill 
will give us a chance to get the industries, the new industries, the 
green industries and so forth, up and running so that we can return 
people to gainful employment.
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, with record 12.2 percent unemployment, 
Oregon has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country. That 
translates into 236,000 Oregonians without work. In the Portland 
region, nearly 140,000 residents are out of work. For those without 
work, the average weekly unemployment benefit in Oregon is $310. Each 
week, I receive letters indicating how much of a lifeline these 
unemployment benefits are.
  Tragically for many families, this benefit is running out. Without 
this legislation, 6,000 Oregonians will have exhausted their 
unemployment benefits by the end of September. Each week thereafter 500 
more will lose their coverage. Unless we authorize this extension, 
federal aid for these Oregonians will end.
  The economic losses from unemployment will last long after these 
workers--and the millions like them around the country--have again 
found work. Income losses for workers who are let go in a recession can 
persist for as long as two decades, sometimes longer. During this 
recession, older workers' wages will likely fall farther than those of 
younger workers. Those without college degrees will likely do worse 
than those with.
  These challenging economic conditions are only the tip of an economic 
iceberg. The typical American household made less money last year than 
the typical household made a full decade ago. Median household income 
fell to $50,303 last year; in 1998, the median income was $51,295. With 
six job seekers for every opening, these numbers are not likely to 
improve soon. Every year, our constituents have to do more with less.
  Every day in America jobs are being created and jobs are being lost. 
The real question is the balance between job growth and job loss. Since 
1940, Republicans have been in charge of the United States more years 
than Democrats, 36-33. But, despite that fact, in terms of actual job 
creation, you can go back and look at the Department of Labor's 
statistics, for those 33 years, Democrats created 64.2 percent of the 
jobs in this country. Republicans were responsible for 35.8 percent of 
the jobs.
  The Obama administration has inherited the worst financial collapse 
in American history since the Great Depression, with the effects that 
are still being felt on the State and local level and will continue to 
ripple throughout the economy even after it is corrected. In response, 
President Obama produced a strong economic recovery package that the 
Congress passed in a few days. The current credit crisis facing the 
United States is one of the greatest economic challenges that the 
country has faced. It can be squarely traced to the ideology of 
economic deregulation, which left the government with few tools to 
address the reckless actions of many financial institutions until too 
late.
  It is time to rebuild the foundations of our economy, to improve 
America's fiscal fitness. I'm proud that the Recovery Act has begun 
this process. I look forward to working with my colleagues to invest in 
good jobs, improve wages, and create a nation where every family is 
safe, healthy, and economically secure.
  Ms. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3548, 
the ``Unemployment Compensation Extension Act.'' This bill will provide 
much-needed relief to the millions of unemployed American workers who 
are struggling to find jobs today. With the adoption of this bill, 
Congress will provide up to 13 additional weeks of desperately needed 
unemployment benefits to workers who are about to run out of 
unemployment benefits, particularly focusing on those people who live 
in states where unemployment rates are highest.
  California has the 4th highest unemployment rate in the Nation and in 
terms of my district the numbers are staggering:
  Carson--12.6 percent
  Compton--20.9 percent
  Long Beach--13.7 percent
  Signal Hill--9.4 percent
  Mr. Speaker, although job losses have begun to decline more recently, 
unemployment is still too high, and the American people need relief 
now. With the national unemployment rate at 9.7 percent, we must enact 
legislation that will assist the American people during this precarious 
economic time of availability at an all-time low. At least 300,000 will 
run out of their unemployment benefits by the end of September and over 
1 million people will run out of their benefits by the end of December.
  It is very important that we pass H.R. 3548, but let us not forget 
that our real task in the coming months is to ensure that every 
American that wants a job has one. I have been working in Congress to 
continue to create and pass meaningful reform that will spur job growth 
and help communities in crisis. One of the most powerful pieces of 
legislation that we have already passed is the American Recovery & 
Reinvestment Act, which helped create and save 3.5 million American 
jobs.
  The American people are struggling to make ends meet while they 
search for new jobs in this challenging economy. I urge my colleagues 
to support this necessary and timely legislation. If we do not pass 
this bill, we will not only face a financial crisis but a moral deficit 
in this country as well. We cannot allow that to happen. I urge all 
members to vote ``aye'' on H.R. 3548, the Unemployment Compensation 
Extension Act.
  Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3548--the 
Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2009. In light of the 
devastating impact the recession has had on families and communities 
across the country, this legislation is critical to ensure that jobless 
workers continue to collect unemployment benefits while they rebuild 
their lives and try to find gainful employment. This is a very 
important bill, and I commend Representative Jim McDermott for bringing 
this measure before the floor.
  Although Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke announced last week 
that the recession is very likely over, he and other members of the 
Obama administration caution that unemployment may continue to rise 
before we start to see significant job creation next year. And today, 
many people across the country remain jobless and are relying on their 
unemployment benefits to support their families.
  Unless Congress acts, over 300,000 jobless workers living in high 
unemployment states are projected to exhaust their unemployment 
benefits by the end of September. California is ranked among the states 
leading in double digit unemployment rates. According to the U.S. 
Department of Labor, as of August 2009, California's unemployment rate 
reached 12.2 percent. Moreover, the Department of Labor reports the 
state has lost well over 700,000 jobs over the past year.
  I have received countless distressing calls and letters from my 
constituents. I have heard horror stories about foreclosed homes, 
displaced families, and even death due to unforeseen illness because of 
an inability to pay for medical care. These stories give a face to the 
statistics.

[[Page 22278]]

  This recession has been particularly devastating on communities of 
color. The unemployment rate for African Americans is 15.1 percent, and 
for our Hispanics and Latinos, the rate is 13.1 percent. When you 
consider the nationwide unemployment rate is 9.7 percent, our minority 
communities are clearly fairing far worse. These communities are in 
desperate need for further assistance as provided under this measure.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to add my voice of support for H.R. 3548. 
And I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress to ensure 
that our Federal government's economic recovery programs are effective 
and actually achieve their intended goals.
  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer my strong support 
for H.R. 3548, the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2009.
  The unemployment rate in my state of Illinois is 10 percent. 
Illinois' unemployment rate is higher than the national average of 9.6 
percent; and within Illinois, the rate in the Chicago area is higher 
still, at 10.6 percent.
  It is true that there are signs the economy is beginning to recover: 
fewer jobs were lost in August than in previous months. But we still 
have a long way to go in terms of job creation, and in the meantime, we 
need to help those who are looking for work but can't find it.
  Three hundred thousand Illinoisans have lost their jobs in the last 
year. Five million Americans have been out of work longer than six 
months. The bill before us would extend an additional 13 weeks of 
unemployment compensation for those individuals in high unemployment 
states who are exhausting their unemployment benefits. With nearly six 
people out of work for every available job, this assistance is 
imperative.
  H.R. 3548 would help at least 20,000 Illinoisans who are exhausting 
their benefits by the end of September and more than 50,000 whose 
benefits would otherwise expire by the end of the year.
  Extending unemployment compensation will help job-hunting Americans 
pay their bills and prevent more foreclosures, further bolstering the 
economy. According to Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody's 
Economy.com, every $1 spent on unemployment benefits generates $1.63 in 
new economic demand.
  I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3548.
  Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, this legislation would extend unemployment 
benefits to as long as 21 months in States where the unemployment rate 
is 8.5 percent or higher. That's about half the country, and the number 
is likely to grow.
  And we aren't even close to the end of the road. On September 11, 
2009, Larry Summers, chair of the President's National Economic 
Council, said today's level of unemployment is ``unacceptably high'' 
and will remain so ``for a number of years.'' How high? Today's 
unemployment rate is 9.7 percent. The Administration's August 
Midsession Review foresees 10 percent at the end of 2009, 9.7 percent 
in late 2010, and 8.0 percent in late 2011.
  It's highly unlikely Congress will stop paying extended benefits 
then. We need to ask how long can this go on, and what does any of this 
have to do with helping people get back to work? Since this extended 
benefits program was created in June 2008 and expanded twice, 
unemployment rose from 5.8 to 6.8 to 7.6 to now 9.7 percent, even 
though the Administration swore it wouldn't exceed 8 percent under 
their stimulus law. There are now 6 million more unemployed, including 
3 million more long-term unemployed, than when this program was 
created.
  We are perpetuating unemployment, not solving it. Larry Summers also 
has stated that unemployment benefits ``contribute to long-term 
unemployment . . . by providing an incentive, and the means, not to 
work. Each unemployed person has a `reservation wage'--the minimum wage 
he or she insists on getting before accepting a job. Unemployment 
insurance and other social assistance programs increase that 
reservation wage, causing an unemployed person to remain unemployed 
longer.''
  A senior Labor official in the Clinton administration reflected on 
what that meant in terms of when unemployed workers find new jobs: 
``There are large spikes in the escape rate from unemployment at 26 
weeks and at 39 weeks for UI recipients. Spikes of similar magnitude at 
26 and 39 weeks are not apparent for UI non-recipients.'' What happens 
after 26 and 39 weeks of unemployment? State and Federal unemployment 
benefits end, and there are ``large spikes'' in people finding new 
jobs.
  Is ending a long spell of unemployment easy? Of course not. Does 
everyone quickly find a job? Unfortunately not. Do those who return to 
work always make what they did before? No. But government cannot solve 
all ills, and sometimes makes things worse by trying to. Recent 
articles have noted that a majority of the unemployed are willing to 
take a pay cut to get back to work, that ``there is a huge traveling 
workforce that follows the jobs,'' and that States have innovative 
options to get unemployed workers back on the job.
  But extending benefits to 21 months undermines those return to work 
incentives, leaving workers worse off, and employment prospects more 
depressed going forward.
  Just currently approved unemployment spending has drained the State 
and Federal unemployment accounts, and will lead to deficits totaling 
more than $100 billion by late 2010 and nearly $200 billion by late 
2012. Further extensions and expansions will add massively to that tide 
of red ink. That undermines job creation by requiring even more massive 
tax hikes to pay for all the continued benefit spending. Already State 
unemployment taxes are poised to double in the coming years. Extending 
benefits even more will require even greater job-killing tax hikes, 
hurting especially the long-term unemployed we are trying to help.
  We can and must do better. It's well past time for us to review how 
we can really increase jobs so laid off workers get paychecks, not 
unemployment checks.
  Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the 300,000 
workers who will lose unemployment benefits by the end of the month if 
we do not act.
  The economic crisis that President Obama and this Congress inherited 
has caused unemployment to spike throughout the country. Competition 
for jobs is intense, with six jobless workers for each new job. The 
result is that an estimated 50 percent of unemployed individuals have 
been jobless for more than 6 months. The Unemployment Insurance system 
has done a good job of helping families make ends meet during the 
recession, but we must protect those who still cannot find work and 
whose benefits are about to run out.
  The Unemployment Compensation Extension Act (H.R. 3548) would provide 
immediate relief to millions of workers by extending unemployment 
benefits for an additional 13 weeks in states with high unemployment 
rates. In my state, California, the unemployment rate is at 12.2 
percent--a 70 year high. If Congress does not act, nearly 70,000 
Californians will run out of benefits by the end of this month and a 
total of 154,000 Californians will exhaust benefits by the end of the 
year. In total, 1 million workers around the country will exhaust 
benefits by the end of the year. We cannot allow that to happen. While 
the economy begins to recover and the economic stimulus starts to take 
hold, Congress has an obligation to ensure that families can put food 
on their tables and pay their bills.
  I am a co-sponsor of the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act and 
I urge all of my colleagues to support this important legislation.
  Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong and full support of 
H.R. 3548, the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2009. This 
legislation is sorely needed in my home State of Michigan and I urge 
all of my colleagues to lend their support.
  This legislation comes before the House at a critical time for many 
of our families. By the end of this month more than 300,000 jobless 
workers are expected to run out of unemployment compensation. The 
National Employment Law Project estimates that by the end of the year 
nearly 1.5 million workers will have used up their benefits. In 
Michigan it is expected that more than 62,000 will run out of their 
benefits by the end of December.
  For the families that I represent this loss of benefits comes at a 
time when Michigan is continuing to struggle with over 15 percent 
unemployment. In the metro Detroit area unemployment is even higher at 
17.1 percent unemployment. These are not families looking for a 
handout, rather they are relying on these benefits to pay their 
mortgage and put dinner on the table. I can think of thousands of 
workers in my district alone who can confirm that $310 a week does not 
stretch far.
  Although it is easy to lose sight of an individual family in the 
crowded pages of statistics and multi-colored graphs we use to try to 
quantify unemployment in this country, hearing the thousands of stories 
of my constituents struggling to stay afloat in these still-difficult 
times is enough to argue the necessity of this bill. One of those 
stories was told to me by a man named Dave from Taylor. Dave is 58 
years old, but is unable to retire due to both a lengthy period of 
unemployment as well as being a victim of identity theft. He moved back 
to Michigan to be close to his daughter, but still struggles to find 
work despite, in his words, ``trying just about everything.'' Folks 
like Dave are not simply sitting around and idly hoping for a job. They 
are actively searching every day and we must give them more time to do 
so.

[[Page 22279]]

  Another story highlighting the need for this extension was told to me 
by a man who introduced himself as Will at the Southeast Michigan 
Rehiring, Retraining, and Relief Fair I hosted in early September. Will 
was a Senior Information Technology Project Manager with GM for 19 
years, but despite a great deal of time and effort to both network and 
go through traditional channels, he continues to struggle to find 
employment. Although Will is following leads on jobs he discussed with 
recruiters at the job fair, his situation is emblematic of the 
displaced auto workers from all sectors of the industry who will likely 
require retraining to find a new job as well as the continued 
unemployment benefits throughout that process to support themselves and 
their families.
  Under this legislation States that have a three-month average of 
total unemployment rate of 8.5 percent will be eligible for up to 13 
weeks of extended unemployment benefits. This would bring the total 
amount of potential Emergency Unemployment Compensation to 46 weeks for 
29 States.
  The additional 13 weeks of benefits included in this legislation is 
far from being enough to solve the problem of unemployment, however, it 
will provide some peace of mind for our families and give our workers 
additional time for their job search. And with six people looking for 
each available job, we know that this extension will be valuable.
  For those that doubt the need for this extension, consider that both 
Moody's Economy.com and the Congressional Budget Office have found that 
such an extension is an effective economic stimulus. For every dollar 
of unemployment benefits, $1.64 is provided in economic stimulus.
  Mr. Speaker, as a cosponsor of this legislation and as the federal 
representative for the State with the highest unemployment, I urge all 
of my colleagues to express their support for this extension and vote 
in favor of H.R. 3548. Please do not let Congress's holiday gift to our 
families in need be the exhaustion of their unemployment benefits.
  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this 
legislation to temporarily extend unemployment insurance benefits.
  Unemployment rates remain historically high. However, we are 
beginning to see signs of economic recovery. Though the August 2009 
jobs report announced that 216,000 jobs were lost, it was the fewest 
jobs losses in a year. We are seeing rebounds in the housing and stock 
markets. The gross domestic product is stabilizing. It is becoming 
increasingly clear that the Recovery Act that Congress passed earlier 
this year prevented a severe economic collapse and is a success by 
putting money back into the economy, creating jobs, and providing tax 
relief to 95 percent of Americans. While this economic progress is 
welcome news, much work remains to be done in rebuilding our economy.
  Too many Americans remain out of work at no fault of their own. They 
are still struggling to make ends meet. If we do not act to extend 
unemployment benefits, thousands of American workers will run out of 
unemployment compensation by the end of September, and over one million 
will exhaust benefits by the end of the year. These benefits help 
workers who have lost their jobs to buy basic necessities for their 
families as well as continue their mortgage payments.
  Mr. Speaker, we must continue to help those in need during this 
economic recovery. I urge my colleagues to support this much-needed 
legislation.
  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of an emergency 
extension of unemployment benefits for states with high rates of 
unemployment like my home state of New Jersey.
  I hear all the time from Central New Jersey residents who are working 
hard each day to find a new job. Recently, a Mercer County resident 
wrote me to say his wife had been out of work for 11 months. He wrote 
to say, ``The jobs are just not available for her to go back to work.'' 
This bill answers his plea and the pleas of countless other out of work 
New Jersey residents to extend unemployment benefits while they 
continue to search for employment.
  In tough economic times, Congress and the President have worked 
together to extend unemployment benefits when needed. The previous 
extensions of unemployment insurance during this current recession has 
helped many New Jersey residents keep a roof over their head and food 
on the table when times were tough. In this tight job market and with 
the economy just starting to show signs of recovery, there are still 
six unemployed workers for each job opening and more than five million 
people who have been unemployed for more than six months.
  The Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2009, H.R. 3548, would 
extend an additional 13 weeks of unemployment benefits to individuals 
who have exhausted their current benefits in states with unemployment 
rates above 8.5 percent. With New Jersey's unemployment rate at 9.4 
percent, by the end of September it is estimated that 22,000 New 
Jerseyans will have exhausted their unemployment benefits and have 
nowhere else to turn. This bill will provide them with direct relief 
during a difficult time.
  Our government must help those in need as they seek new work. 
Morally, it is the right thing to do and the economists tell us that 
unemployment benefits are one of the most cost-efficient and fast-
acting forms of economic stimulus.
  The bill does not add to the deficit, by off-setting its cost with a 
one year extension of an employment tax that has been in place for 30 
years.
  Once this bill is signed into law it is estimated that by December, 
this 13-week extension of unemployment would benefit 1 million 
Americans--including 42,000 New Jersey residents--who will be looking 
for work and have exhausted their existing unemployment benefits.
  Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3548, the 
Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2009, which will provide an 
additional 13 weeks of unemployment benefits to individuals in states 
with unemployment rates of 8.5 percent or higher. This bill provides a 
critical boost to the many Rhode Islanders, and Americans across the 
nation, who are struggling to find employment. In order to receive 
these benefits, workers must have lost a job through no fault of their 
own, be actively searching for a job, be able to work, and must have 
worked twenty weeks prior to being laid off. Only unemployed workers 
who become eligible for the additional weeks of benefits before January 
1, 2010, will qualify for this extension.
  I am encouraged by reports that our country's recession is easing, 
but that is little consolation to the many people still suffering in my 
home state. In Rhode Island, the unemployment rate has reached 12.8 
percent, which is the third highest rate in the country. It is also 
estimated that nearly 4,500 Rhode Islanders will exhaust their benefits 
before the end of this year. With recent reports estimating that there 
are six job seekers for every job opening, Congress must act to help 
workers through this challenging time.
  I understand the hardships Rhode Islanders are facing, and that is 
why rebuilding our economy is the top priority for me and this 
Congress. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has saved the jobs 
of teachers, police officers, and nurses across our state and has 
created jobs through new highway and infrastructure projects, with more 
coming online in the next few months. I am also pleased to see that the 
programs we have passed are being turned into smart investments in our 
future, such as the creation of clean energy jobs in our state through 
weatherization and offshore wind development.
  As the President has stated, it may take some time before we see 
significant improvements in our unemployment rate, but I am confident 
that the programs we are putting into place will yield results over the 
next several months, while the longer-term investments we're making 
will ensure that our workforce and our job market are stronger in the 
years to come. While unemployment benefits and stimulus programs help 
jumpstart our economy in the short term, Congress must also work to 
build a new foundation for a lasting recovery. That is why we are 
making much needed reforms to our health care and financial systems and 
investing in our education and workforce training systems.
  As Members of Congress, we have the power to give hard-working 
Americans another chance to continue their job search and provide for 
their families. I encourage my colleagues to pass this bill to help 
those who are most vulnerable during these trying times.
  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this 
legislation and thank Chairman McDermott for his leadership on this 
bill. H.R. 3548 provides an extension of unemployment benefits for up 
to 13 weeks for Americans across the country in states with the highest 
unemployment rates.
  As of August 2009, the unemployment rate in America is a staggering 
9.7 percent. Jobs are continuing to be shipped overseas, with the 
manufacturing sector boasting the biggest losses. Over 216,000 jobs 
were lost just last month. Ohio is one of 15 states with an 
unemployment rate above the national average and the Economic Policy 
Institute is projecting that racial disparities in high unemployment 
states will continue to worsen in 2010.
  In recent weeks, I have received numerous calls from constituents who 
have already run out of unemployment benefits or are on the verge of 
doing so. This legislation provides a critical, if temporary fix to 
their problems.

[[Page 22280]]

  Twenty-nine states currently qualify for the 13 week unemployment 
extension under this legislation, with more states sure to follow suit. 
I strongly support this legislation and urge my colleagues to vote in 
favor of this bill.
  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 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.
  Ms. SUTTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3548, the 
Unemployment Compensation Extension Act. And, I want to commend my 
colleague Representative McDermott for his leadership on this issue.
  The financial and economic collapse last year put this country in the 
worst economic recession since the 1930s.
  And while we have seen signs that the economy is stabilizing, 
millions of Americans and their families continue to struggle.
  Struggle to pay their monthly rent or mortgage.
  Struggle to pay for their prescriptions.
  Struggle to pay for food and other of life's basic necessities. . . .
  H.R. 3548 will assist workers who have lost their jobs through no 
fault of their own and who continue to look for work in states with 
high unemployment.
  Ohio is one of those states . . . the current jobless rate in Ohio is 
10.8 percent.
  It is estimated that 11,642 Ohioans will run out of unemployment 
compensation by the end of the month and 64,545 will exhaust their 
benefits by the end of the year. H.R. 3548 will extend benefits for 
these workers whose safety net is running out.
  There are 5 million Americans who have been searching for work for 
longer than 6 months.
  And unfortunately, when it comes to getting back to work, prospects 
are dim. There are 6 unemployed workers for every available job in the 
U.S.
  These figures and the severity of the economic recession make it 
critical for Congress to extend unemployment benefits.
  We must help our workers, families, neighbors and communities weather 
these tough economic times.
  We must continue to provide the financial assistance needed to help 
cushion the impact of the recession.
  I urge a ``yes'' vote on H.R. 3548.
  Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in opposition to H.R. 
3548, the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act. While I have 
supported unemployment extensions in time of economic emergency, and 
will continue to do so, I will not give my support to this particular 
legislation because it unfairly taxes states with strong economies to 
pay for workers in states that have engaged in poor economic planning.
  As you know, the bill would extend unemployment benefits for an 
additional 13 weeks in states where the average unemployment rate is 
over 8.5 percent. To pay for this extension, the legislation extends 
the 0.2 percent Federal Unemployment surtax for one more year. This is 
a tax that all employers are required to pay regardless of the state 
unemployment rate. In other words, citizens in states with low 
unemployment will be paying for benefits in states that have been 
fiscally irresponsible or have mishandled their own unemployment fund.
  Currently, Mr. Speaker, there are 27 states with an unemployment rate 
of over 8.5 percent. But many states have engaged in commonsense 
approaches to economic development to avoid this catastrophe. In my 
home state of Oklahoma, for example, our unemployment rate, though 
rising, is still only at 6.8 percent. As many of you know, Oklahoma 
suffered a major economic downturn in the 1980s due to the oil bust. 
However, during the late 1980s and early 1990s, the state of Oklahoma 
and business community learned from this experience and made great 
strides in economic diversification. In the years following, housing 
prices in Oklahoma remained stable and infrastructure grew. Today, 
Oklahoma's energy, agricultural and entertainment industries are strong 
and help to support a robust, diversified economy.
  At the same time, the state of Oklahoma has worked hard to ensure 
that its unemployment fund remains solvent. Though many states' 
unemployment funds were not prepared for a major recession, Oklahoma is 
one of the only states that will not have to borrow from the federal 
fund to repay benefits to unemployed workers. In fact, Madam Speaker, 
the state is not raising the unemployment payments next year. It is 
entirely inappropriate to force the citizens of states like this to pay 
a tax in order to pay for the irresponsibility of others. Oklahoma 
already pays more in unemployment taxes than they receive back from the 
system, and this extension only makes the situation worse.
  In closing, Mr. Speaker, I again would like to emphasize that I am 
not opposed to ensuring that Americans have means to support themselves 
in economic hardship. However, I do believe that it is unwarranted to 
tax the citizens of the 23 other states who have produced good economic 
growth and responsible governance.
  Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3548, 
the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act.
  This critical legislation would extend unemployment benefits by up to 
13 weeks in states with high unemployment, such as my home state of 
California, where the unemployment rate has reached a record 12.2 
percent.
  In California alone, this bill will provide additional benefits for 
over 150,000 jobless workers who would otherwise exhaust their 
unemployment benefits before the end of this year.
  These new benefits will help the millions of Californians who have 
lost their jobs through no fault of their own feed their families, heat 
their homes and pay their mortgages.
  Extending these benefits is also one of the most cost-effective and 
fast-acting ways to stimulate the economy because the money is spent 
quickly. According to Moody's Economy.com, every $1 spent on 
unemployment benefits generates $1.63 in new economic demand.
  There is no question that this legislation is needed. Yes, our 
economy is beginning to recover. But millions are still out of work and 
struggling to stay afloat.
  I support this bill because it will provide real money for real 
workers who need it in California and across the nation.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in voting yes on H.R. 3548.
  Mr. McDERMOTT. I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3548, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and 
nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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