[House Report 107-377]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



107th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session                                                     107-377

======================================================================



 
  EXTENSION OF UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE FOR VICTIMS OF 9-11 TERRORIST 
                                ATTACKS

                                _______
                                

 March 18, 2002.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

     Mr. Young of Alaska, from the Committee on Transportation and 
                Infrastructure, submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                         [To accompany S. 1622]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, to whom 
was referred the bill (S. 1622) to extend the period of 
availability of unemployment assistance under the Robert T. 
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act in the 
case of victims of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, 
having considered the same, report favorably thereon without 
amendment and recommend that the bill do pass.

                         Summary of Legislation

    S. 1622 extends the period of availability from 26 to 52 
weeks of Disaster Unemployment Assistance under the Robert T. 
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act for 
individuals who lost their jobs as a result of the terrorist 
attacks on September 11, 2001.

                               Background

    On September 11, 2001, terrorists attacked the Pentagon and 
the World Trade Center by deliberately crashing aircraft into 
the structure. They were poised to inflict more harm with a 
fourth airplane, which went down in Pennsylvania, after 
passengers, and crew fought the highjackers. These horrible 
events marked the worst attack on domestic soil since the 1941 
attack on Pearl Harbor. The magnitude and enormity of these 
attacks are unprecedented in our nation's history.
    The September 11th attacks damaged or destroyed nearly 25 
million square feet of office space, which makes up 
approximately 20 percent of all the office space in downtown 
New York. The destruction has caused the direct loss of 110,000 
jobs and further put at risk 270,000 jobs in the New York City 
area.
    In Northern Virginia, Washington's Ronald Reagan National 
Airport, located just minutes from the Pentagon, was forced to 
close for 3 weeks. According to published media reports, the 
attack has caused the loss of 18,700 jobs. State and local 
sales tax revenues have been reduced by $22 million. Travel 
spending in the Northern Virginia/Washington, DC metro area is 
down $247 million.
    The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administers 
the disaster unemployment assistance program pursuant to 
Sec. 410(a) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act to provide unemployment assistance to 
persons who become unemployed as a result of major disasters. 
The program currently provides disaster unemployment assistance 
to qualifying individuals for a period not to exceed 26 weeks. 
The 26-week eligibility period begins on the date of approval 
of receipt of assistance. Individuals from Northern Virginia 
and New York City are eligible for disaster unemployment 
assistance only if they are not receiving other types of 
unemployment assistance. S. 1622 extends the period of 
eligibility from 26 weeks to 52 weeks.
    The President declared a major disaster in New York City on 
September 11, 2001, and in Northern Virginia on September 21, 
2001.

                    Hearings and Legislative History

    No Hearings were held in conjunction with ordering reported 
S. 1622.

                        Committee Consideration

    On February 27, 2002, the Full Committee met in open 
session for the consideration of H.R. 3593, a bill to extend 
the period of availability of unemployment assistance under the 
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 
from 26 weeks to 52 weeks for the victims of the September 11th 
attacks. The legislation was introduced by Mr. Nadler. S. 1622, 
an identical bill, was discharged from the Subcommittee on 
Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency 
Management, by unanimous consent. A unanimous consent request 
was made to substitute S. 1622 for H.R. 3593, during 
consideration of the bill. There were no recorded votes taken 
during Committee consideration of S. 1622 which was favorably 
reported by voice vote, a quorum being present.

                             Rollcall Votes

    Clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the House of Representatives 
requires each committee report to include the total number of 
votes cast for and against on each rollcall vote on a motion to 
report and on any amendment offered to the measure or matter, 
and the names of those members voting for and against. There 
were no rollcall votes taken in connection with ordering S. 
1622 reported. A motion by Mr. LaTourette to order S. 1622 
favorably reported to the House was agreed to by voice vote, a 
quorum being present.

                      Committee Oversight Findings

    With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(1) of rule 
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the 
Committee's oversight findings and recommendations are 
reflected in this report.

                          Cost of Legislation

    Clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the rules of the House of 
Representatives does not apply where a cost estimate and 
comparison prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget 
Office under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 
1974 has been timely submitted prior to the filing of the 
report and is included in the report. Such a cost estimate is 
included in this report.

                    Compliance with House Rule XIII

    1. With respect to the requirement of clause 3(c)(2) of 
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, and 
308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee 
references the report of the Congressional Budget Office 
included below.
    2. With respect to the requirement of clause 3(c)(4) of 
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the 
performance goals and objective of this legislation are to 
provide an additional period of eligibility for assistance to 
individuals pursuant to applicable rules and regulations of the 
Federal Emergency Management Agency for whom no other 
assistance is available.
    3. With respect to the requirement of clause 3(c)(3) of 
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and 
section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the 
Committee has received the following cost estimate for S. 1622 
from the Director of the Congressional Budget Office.

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                     Washington, DC, March 1, 2002.
Hon. Don Young,
Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, House of 
        Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for S. 1622, a bill to 
extend the period of availability of unemployment assistance 
under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act in the case of victims of the terrorist attacks 
of September 11, 2001.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Julie 
Middleton.
            Sincerely,
                                          Barry B. Anderson
                                    (For Dan L. Crippen, Director).
    Enclosure.

               congressional budget office cost estimate

S. 1622--A bill to extend the period of availability of unemployment 
        assistance under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
        Emergency Assistance Act in the case of victims of the 
        terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001

    Summary: S. 1622 would require the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency (FEMA) to extend the amount of time from 26 
weeks to 52 weeks that individuals who lost their jobs as a 
result of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks would be 
eligible to receive disaster unemployment assistance. CBO 
estimates that extending the period of eligibility would cost 
the federal government about $4 million, mostly in fiscal year 
2002, assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts. Because 
S. 1622 would not affect direct spending or receipts, pay-as-
you-go procedures would not apply.
    S. 1622 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) 
and would impose no costs on the budgets of state, local, or 
tribal governments.
    Estimated cost to the Federal Government: The estimated 
budgetary impact of S. 1622 is shown in the following table. 
The costs of this legislation fall within budget function 450 
(community and regional development).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                  By fiscal year, in millions of dollars--
                                                           -----------------------------------------------------
                                                              2002     2003     2004     2005     2006     2007
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  CHANGES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION

Estimated Authorization Level.............................        4        0        0        0        0        0
Estimated Outlays.........................................        3        1        0        0        0        0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Basis of estimate: For this estimate, CBO assumes S. 1622 
will be enacted early in fiscal year 2002 and the necessary 
funds will be appropriated. Under current law, people who lose 
their jobs as a result of disasters and are not eligible for 
any other form of unemployment assistance are eligible to 
receive disaster unemployment assistance from FEMA for up to 26 
weeks, though the average length of time for such assistance is 
13 weeks. FEMA estimates that the total number of disaster 
unemployment assistance claims stemming from the September 11, 
2001, terrorist attacks will be about 2,500. CBO expects that 
the total number of recipients receiving assistance would 
decrease each week by 5 percent over the 52-week period of 
eligibility. We estimate that, under this bill, the victims 
would receive an average rate of $250 a week for an average of 
about 20 weeks.
    Based on information from FEMA and information about the 
past costs of extending federal unemployment compensation, CBO 
estimates that extending the period of eligibility for disaster 
unemployment benefits would cost about $4 million over the 
2002-2007 period, assuming appropriation of the necessary 
funds. That is the difference between an estimated cost of 
about $8 million for assistance up to 26 weeks (under current 
law) and an estimated cost of about $12 million for extended 
assistance up to 52 weeks.
    Pay-as-you-go considerations: None.
    Intergovernmental and private-sector impact: S. 1622 
contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as 
defined in UMRA and would impose no costs on the budgets of 
state, local, or tribal governments.
    Previous CBO estimate: On December 6, 2001, CBO transmitted 
a cost estimate for S. 1622 as ordered reported by the Senate 
Committee on Environment and Public Works on November 8, 2001. 
The two versions of this legislation are identical, as are 
their estimated costs.
    Estimate prepared by: Federal costs: Julie Middleton; 
impact on state, local, and tribal governments: Leo Lex; and 
impact on the private sector: Lauren Marks.
    Estimate approved by: Robert A. Sunshine, Assistant 
Director for Budget Analysis.

                   Constitutional Authority Statement

    Pursuant to clause (3)(d)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives, committee reports on a bill or 
joint resolution of a public character shall include a 
statement citing the specific powers granted to the Congress in 
the Constitution to enact the measure. The Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure finds that Congress has the 
authority to enact this measure pursuant to its powers granted 
under article I, section 8 of the Constitution.

                       Federal Mandates Statement

    The Committee adopts as its own the estimate of federal 
mandates prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget 
Office pursuant to section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform 
Act. (Public Law 104-4.)

                      Advisory Committee Statement

    No advisory committees within the meaning of section 5(b) 
of the Federal Advisory Committee Act were created by this 
legislation.

                Applicability to the Legislative Branch

    The Committee finds that the legislation does not relate to 
the terms and conditions of employment or access to public 
services or accommodations within the meaning of section 
102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act. (Public Law 
104-1.)

                                  
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