[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book II)]
[November 24, 1993]
[Pages 2070-2071]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Statement on Signing the Unemployment Compensation Amendments of 1993
November 24, 1993

    Today I am pleased to sign into law H.R. 3167, the ``Unemployment 
Compensation Amendments of 1993.'' This legislation will provide the 
unemployed and their families with important assistance by extending 
eligibility for the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program to 
individuals exhausting their regular unemployment benefits. EUC benefits 
would be extended from last October 2 through February 5 of next year. 
In addition, the legislation will accelerate the reemployment of workers 
by requiring the establishment of a worker profiling system in each 
State to link workers most likely to experience long-term unemployment 
with effective job search assistance.
    There are some important signs that the economy continues to improve 
and that a job recovery is underway. In the first 9 months of my 
Administration, our economy has created 1.3 million private sector jobs, 
which is more than were created in the previous 4 years combined. With 
the solid foundation provided by the enactment of the economic program 
this summer, I believe the economy will continue to grow and create more 
new jobs.
    However, the improvement in the economy is not yet solid enough to 
justify discontinuing the EUC program. It is therefore appropriate that 
we extend EUC to provide support to help unemployed workers pay their 
grocery bills and other living expenses while they seek new employment.
    Just providing income support to the unemployed is not enough. The 
Administration is committed to moving from the present system that 
simply buffers the pain of unemployment toward a new system that speeds 
displaced workers into reemployment. The critical first step in this 
transformation is the requirement in this Act that States establish a 
worker profiling system.
    Under these systems, workers filing for unem-


[[Page 2071]]

ployment benefits who have permanently lost their jobs and are likely to 
need reemployment services would be identified early in their period of 
unemployment. These workers would then be referred to, and offered, job 
search assistance. There is strong evidence from demonstration projects 
in New Jersey and other States that such systems reduce the period of 
unemployment experienced by these workers as well as the associated 
costs and pain of such unemployment. In short, the workers benefit 
through earlier reemployment, the Federal Government benefits through 
reduced unemployment insurance costs and increased tax receipts, and the 
economy benefits through increased productivity.
    I believe these worker profiling systems will make a real difference 
and provide new opportunities for unemployed workers. We will build upon 
this approach in proposing a comprehensive reemployment program early 
next year that will provide displaced workers with greatly enhanced 
access to early, effective, and comprehensive services.
    In combining the requirement for worker profiling systems with the 
extension of EUC, H.R. 3167 makes a significant down payment on systemic 
reform and contributes to enhancing the economic security of American 
workers.

                                                      William J. Clinton

The White House,
November 24, 1993.

Note: H.R. 3167, approved November 24, was assigned Public Law No. 103-
152.