Amended in Assembly March 11, 2014

Senate Joint Resolution No. 18

Introduced by Senators Beall and Corbett

(Coauthors: Senators Block, Calderon, Cannella, De León, DeSaulnier, Evans, Galgiani, Hancock, Hernandez, Hill, Hueso, Jackson, Lara, Leno, Lieu, Liu, Mitchell, Monning, Padilla, Pavley, Roth, Steinberg, Torres, Vidak, Wolk, and Yee)

January 16, 2014

Senate Joint Resolution No. 18—Relative to unemployment insurance.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SJR 18, as amended, Beall. Emergency Unemployment Compensation: extension.

This measure would proclaim the Legislature’s support for the extension of the Emergency Unemployment Compensation program and would memorialize the United States Congress to promptly renew the extension of unemployment benefits.

Fiscal committee: no.

WHEREAS, In 2008, the United States suffered its worst
economic crisis since the Great Depression; and

WHEREAS, The economic downturn resulted in a 10 percent
unemployment rate nationwide by 2009, and a rate as high as 12.4
percent in California; and

WHEREAS, When unemployment benefits were first authorized,
the national unemployment rate was only 5.6 percent; and

WHEREAS, Now the current unemployment rate is at 7 percent
and 36 states, including California, have higher rates of
unemployment; and

WHEREAS, California’s unemployed workers currently face
one of the toughest job markets in the country, with statewide
unemployment at 8.5 percent and three unemployed workers for
every available job; and

WHEREAS, In 2009, Congress passed the Emergency
Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program which extended
benefits to those out of work for up to 99 weeks to give relief to
many that have endured an extended period of unemployment.
Unemployed workers in California receive 37 weeks of EUC, and
26 weeks of state benefits, averaging just two hundred ninety-two
dollars ($292) a begin delete week. end delete begin insert week; and end insert

WHEREAS, On December 28, 2013, the EUC program expired
without an extension from Congress. On that day, 214,000
unemployed workers ran out of EUC in California and 12,500
more will be doing so daily; and

WHEREAS, As of begin delete December 30, 2013, end delete begin insert February 24, 2014, end insert
close to begin delete 1,260,400 end delete begin insert 1,273,100 end insert unemployed workers in California
have run out of all available unemployment benefits; and

WHEREAS, The EUC program brought $4.5 billion in benefits
to the California economy in 2013 alone; and

WHEREAS, It is crucial for the United States government to
take action in renewing the EUC program and extending the
unemployment benefits that millions of people direly need; now,
therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of
California, jointly, That the Legislature supports the extension of
the Emergency Unemployment Compensation program and
respectfully memorializes the United States Congress to promptly
renew the extension of unemployment benefits that will
tremendously aid millions of people; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of
this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United
States, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Majority
and Minority Leaders of the Senate, each Senator and
Representative from California in the Congress of the United
States, and to the author for appropriate distribution.