Unemployment Benefits: Legislative Issues in the 108th Congress

Publication Date: July 2003

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Labor

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Abstract:

Changes in the federal-state unemployment compensation (UC) system are likely to be considered during the 108th Congress. Legislation has been introduced to reform and expand the UC system. The 107th Congress enacted the Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation (TEUC) program (P.L. 107-147), which included a 13-week extension of UC benefits, a $8 billion distribution to states, and 13 additional weeks of extended UC benefits in high unemployment states. These temporary benefits ended on December 28, 2002; however in the first law passed by the 108th Congress, the TEUC program was extended through the end of May 2003 (P.L. 108-1) and subsequently extend again through December 31, 2003 (P.L. 108-26). Several proposals have been introduced to extend or expand the TEUC program. Most recently, the Congress enacted special TEUC benefits for displaced airline related workers, known as TEUC-A (P.L. 108-11). (This report will be updated as legislative activity warrants.)