House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

COVID-19 placed an unprecedented strain on working families, many of whom relied on Pennsylvania’s overburdened unemployment compensation (UC) system to keep food on the table and make ends meet. While the sheer number of claims and burdensome requirements under the UC law are largely to blame for the delays affecting UC claimants, that information provides zero comfort to the families that are waiting to receive their benefits.   

  

Each of us has heard the desperate pleas from our families, friends, and neighbors – now we need to act. It’s time to help people get paid faster and that we make it easier for the PA Department of Labor and Industry to process claims. This legislation will address some of the most common roadblocks that arise in the UC claims process and makes the following changes to the UC Law: 

 

The pandemic shined a light on many issues with how unemployment benefits are paid. Now is the time to make critical changes to the unemployment system to better prepare for the future. Please join me and the Department of Labor and Industry in rectifying these issues so Pennsylvania’s working families can come to rely more soundly on this important public lifeline.