Bill Text: NJ SR80 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Memorializes Congress to enact legislation extending 100% federal funding for benefits for laid off workers.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-07-19 - Reported from Senate Committee, 2nd Reading [SR80 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-SR80-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator SANDRA B. CUNNINGHAM
District 31 (Hudson)
Senator FRED H. MADDEN, JR.
District 4 (Camden and Gloucester)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senator Ruiz
SYNOPSIS
Memorializes Congress to enact legislation extending 100% federal funding for benefits for laid off workers.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Senate Resolution memorializing Congress to enact legislation to extend 100% federal funding for various supplemental benefits for laid off workers.
Whereas, The current recession is the most severe economic downturn since the Great Depression, causing the loss of more than half a million jobs in the State of New Jersey; and
Whereas, The potential adverse impacts of such large-scale unemployment on working families, including economic privation, home foreclosures and even the disruption of families, were curtailed by decisive action by Congress, as part of the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009," Pub.L.111-5, and related legislation, to provide, in addition to the usual maximum of 26 weeks of regular State-funded unemployment insurance (UI) benefits, 100% federal funding for up to 53 weeks of emergency UI benefits, 20 weeks of extended UI benefits, a supplement of $25 per week for all UI benefits, and assistance to laid off workers paying to continue their workplace based health insurance coverage; and
Whereas, Those 100% federally funded benefits provided more than $5 billion in UI benefits to laid off New Jersey workers and their families during 2009 and 2010, an amount exceeding the total amount of State-funded UI benefits; and
Whereas, Since the law authorizing these federally-funded benefits expired on June 2, 2010, the United States Senate has failed, four times, to obtain the 60 votes necessary to reinstate the law and extend the benefits, with the opposing Senators representing less than one third of the population of the United States; and
Whereas, Since the law expired, more than one million laid off workers have lost their benefits across the nation and more than 38,000 in New Jersey, in the midst of the highest rates of long-term unemployment on record; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Congress of the United States is respectfully memorialized to enact legislation to extend the 100% federal funding for emergency UI benefits, extended UI benefits, weekly UI benefit supplements and assistance to laid off workers paying to continue their workplace based health insurance coverage.
2. Duly authenticated copies of this resolution, signed by the President of the Senate and attested by the Secretary thereof, shall be transmitted to the presiding officers of the United States Senate and the House of Representatives, and to each member of Congress elected from the State of New Jersey.
STATEMENT
This resolution memorializes Congress to enact legislation to extend the 100% federal funding for emergency UI benefits, extended UI benefits, weekly UI benefit supplements and assistance to laid off workers paying to continue their workplace-based health insurance coverage.
