BILL NUMBER: SJR 18INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Senators Beall and Corbett (Coauthors: Senators Block, Calderon, Cannella, De Len, 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 Relative to unemployment insurance. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SJR 18, as introduced, 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, 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 week. 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 December 30, 2013, close to 1,260,400 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.