PRINTER'S NO. 3604
No. 659 Session of 2004
INTRODUCED BY BELFANTI, ALLEN, DeWEESE, PHILLIPS, BEBKO-JONES,
BELARDI, BIANCUCCI, WANSACZ, FREEMAN, BLAUM, CAPPELLI,
CORRIGAN, DALEY, DiGIROLAMO, FABRIZIO, GEORGE, GOODMAN,
HANNA, HENNESSEY, JAMES, KOTIK, LEACH, LEH, LEVDANSKY,
MICOZZIE, PALLONE, READSHAW, ROONEY, SANTONI, SCHRODER,
SOLOBAY, THOMAS, BROWNE, CAWLEY, CURRY, DeLUCA, DONATUCCI,
FICHTER, GOOD, GRUCELA, HARHAI, HORSEY, KELLER, LAUGHLIN,
LEDERER, LESCOVITZ, MARKOSEK, MUNDY, PISTELLA, ROBERTS,
RUBLEY, SATHER, SHANER, SURRA, TIGUE, WALKO, WATERS,
YOUNGBLOOD, WASHINGTON, WHEATLEY AND YUDICHAK, MARCH 31, 2004
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON LABOR RELATIONS, MARCH 31, 2004
A RESOLUTION
1 Memorializing the Congress of the United States to extend and
2 make retroactive the Federal Temporary Extended Unemployment
3 Compensation (TEUC) program.
4 WHEREAS, Over the past few years the national economy has
5 struggled unsuccessfully to rebound from the recession, and a
6 strong and sustainable recovery remains elusive; and
7 WHEREAS, Twenty-two percent of the nation's unemployed have
8 been out of work for more than six months; and
9 WHEREAS, In November 2003, long-term joblessness reached a
10 20-year high; and
11 WHEREAS, The average duration for unemployment in January
12 increased to 19.8 weeks, and for 16 consecutive months the long-
13 term unemployment rate has exceeded 20 weeks; and
14 WHEREAS, In January 2004, the nation's unemployment rate
1 remained at 5.6% and the Pennsylvania unemployment rate was
2 5.3%; and
3 WHEREAS, The President and Congress originally approved TEUC
4 compensation to provide assistance to unemployed workers who
5 were unable to find jobs before exhausting their regular
6 benefits and to stimulate the economy by injecting dollars
7 directly into local communities; and
8 WHEREAS, According to the United States Department of
9 Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, between January of 2001 and
10 December of 2003, the loss of private sector jobs stood at 2.9
11 million nationally and totaled 220,000 in the Commonwealth of
12 Pennsylvania; and
13 WHEREAS, Across the nation more than 1 million unemployed
14 workers are expected to exhaust their regular benefits in the
15 first quarter of 2004; and
16 WHEREAS, In January, 17,050 Pennsylvanians reached the end of
17 their eligibility for unemployment benefits but still could not
18 find jobs; and
19 WHEREAS, Job growth in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has
20 trailed working-age population growth by three percentage points
21 since the recession began and the prospects for employment of
22 long-term unemployed individuals remain bleak; and
23 WHEREAS, Employers in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will
24 benefit from increased consumer demand pumped into the
25 Commonwealth economy by unemployed workers if TEUC benefits are
26 extended; therefore be it
27 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
28 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania memorialize the President and
29 Congress of the United States to extend and make retroactive the
30 Federal TEUC program; and be it further
20040H0659R3604 - 2 -
1 RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
2 the President of the United States, George W. Bush, and to the
3 presiding officers of each house of Congress and to each member
4 of Congress from Pennsylvania.
C26L82JAM/20040H0659R3604 - 3 -