I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 17

To provide economic security for America’s workers. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 7, 2003

Mr. RANGEL (for himself, Mr. CARDIN, Ms. PELOSI, Mr. HOYER, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. SPRATT, Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. STARK, Mr. MATSUI, Mr. LEVIN, 

Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. DOGGETT, Mr. KLECZKA, 

Mr. JEFFERSON, Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts, Mr. BECERRA, Mr. 

MCNULTY, Mr. POMEROY, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. ACEVEDO-VILA ́, Mr. 

ACKERMAN, Mr. ALLEN, Mr. ANDREWS, Mr. BACA, Mr. BAIRD, Ms. 

BALDWIN, Ms. BERKLEY, Mr. BERRY, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. 

BLUMENAUER, Mr. BOUCHER, Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania, Ms. CORRINE

BROWN of Florida, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. CAPUANO, Ms. 

CARSON of Indiana, Mr. CASE, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Mr. CLAY, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. COSTELLO, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. DELAHUNT, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. DEUTSCH, Mr. 

DINGELL, Mr. DOOLEY of California, Mr. DOYLE, Mr. ENGEL, Ms. 

ESHOO, Mr. ETHERIDGE, Mr. FARR of California, Mr. FATTAH, Mr. FILNER, Mr. FORD, Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts, Mr. FROST, Mr. GEPHARDT, Mr. GREEN of Texas, Mr. GUTIERREZ, Mr. HOEFFEL, Mr. 

HOLDEN, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. HOLT, Mr. INSLEE, Mr. ISRAEL, Mr. 

LANGEVIN, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, Ms. LEE, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of 

Texas, Ms. LOFGREN, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Mrs. LOWEY, Mr. LYNCH, 

Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island, Mr. KILDEE, Ms. KILPATRICK, Mr. KIND, Mr. KUCINICH, Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York, Mrs. 

MALONEY, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. MCINTYRE, Mr. MEEHAN, 

Mr. MEEKS of New York, Mr. MICHAUD, Ms. MILLENDER-MCDONALD, 

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, Mr. MOLLOHAN, Mr. MOORE, Mr. 

MORAN of Virginia, Mr. MURTHA, Mr. NADLER, Ms. NORTON, Mr. OBEY, 

Mr. OBERSTAR, Mr. OLVER, Mr. OWENS, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. PASCRELL, 

Mr. PAYNE, Mr. PRICE of North Carolina, Mr. RAHALL, Mr. RODRIGUEZ, 

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. RUSH, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, Ms. LINDA T. 

SA ́NCHEZ of California, Mr. SANDERS, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. SCOTT of 

Georgia, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. SHERMAN, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Mr. SMITH of 

Washington, Ms. SOLIS, Mr. STRICKLAND, Mr. STUPAK, Mr. TIERNEY, 

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. UDALL of Colorado, Mr. VISCLOSKY, 

Ms. WATSON, Mr. WEINER, and Mr. WYNN) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means 
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A BILL

To provide economic security for America’s workers.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act of 2003’’. 

6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of 

7 this Act is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.

Sec. 2. Extension of the Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation 

Act of 2002. 

Sec. 3. Entitlement to additional weeks of temporary extended unemployment 

compensation. 

Sec. 4. Application of revised rate of insured unemployment. 

Sec. 5. Additional TEUC extended benefit period trigger. 

Sec. 6. Additional weeks of benefits for workers in high unemployment States. 

Sec. 7. Effective date.

8 SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF THE TEMPORARY EXTENDED UNEM9 PLOYMENT COMPENSATION ACT OF 2002. 

10 (a) SIX-MONTH EXTENSION OF PROGRAM.—Section 

11 208 of the Temporary Extended Unemployment Com12 pensation Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–147; 116 Stat. 

13 30) is amended to read as follows: 

14 ‘‘SEC. 208. APPLICABILITY. 

15 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subsection (b), an 

16 agreement entered into under this title shall apply to 

17 weeks of unemployment—
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1 ‘‘(1) beginning after the date on which such 

2 agreement is entered into; and 

3 ‘‘(2) ending before July 1, 2003. 

4 ‘‘(b) TRANSITION.—In the case of an individual who 

5 is receiving temporary extended unemployment compensa6 tion for the week which immediately precedes July 1, 

7 2003, temporary extended unemployment compensation 

8 shall continue to be payable to such individual for any 

9 week thereafter from the account from which such indi10 vidual received compensation for the week immediately 

11 preceding that termination date. No compensation shall 

12 be payable by reason of the preceding sentence for any 

13 week beginning after December 31, 2003.’’. 

14 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 

15 this section shall take effect as if included in the enact16 ment of the Temporary Extended Unemployment Com17 pensation Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–147; 116 Stat. 

18 21). 

19 SEC. 3. ENTITLEMENT TO ADDITIONAL WEEKS OF TEM20 PORARY EXTENDED UNEMPLOYMENT COM21 PENSATION. 

22 Paragraph (1) of section 203(b) of the Temporary 

23 Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 2002 

24 (Public Law 107–147; 116 Stat. 21) is amended to read 

25 as follows: 
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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The amount established in 

2 an account under subsection (a) shall be equal to 26 

3 times the individual’s weekly benefit amount for the 

4 benefit year.’’. 

5 SEC. 4. APPLICATION OF REVISED RATE OF INSURED UN6 EMPLOYMENT. 

7 Section 207 of the Temporary Extended Unemploy8 ment Compensation Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–147; 

9 116 Stat. 21) is amended—

10 (1) by striking ‘‘In’’ and inserting ‘‘(a) GEN11 ERAL DEFINITIONS.—In’’; and 

12 (2) by adding at the end the following new 

13 paragraph: 

14 ‘‘(b) ADJUSTED INSURED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE.—

15 For purposes of carrying out section 203(c) with respect 

16 to weeks of unemployment beginning on or after the date 

17 of enactment of the Emergency Unemployment Com18 pensation Act of 2003, the term ‘rate of insured unem19 ployment’, as used in section 203(d) of the Federal-State 

20 Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970 (26 

21 U.S.C. 3304 note), has the meaning given such term 

22 under section 203(e)(1) of such Act, except that individ23 uals exhausting their right to regular compensation during 

24 the most recent 3 calendar months for which data are 

25 available before the close of the period for which such rate 
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1 is being determined shall be taken into account as if they 

2 were individuals filing claims for regular compensation for 

3 each week during the period for which such rate is being 

4 determined.’’. 

5 SEC. 5. ADDITIONAL TEUC EXTENDED BENEFIT PERIOD 

6 TRIGGER. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 203(c) of the Temporary 

8 Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 2002 

9 (Public Law 107–147; 116 Stat. 21) is amended by add10 ing at the end the following new paragraph: 

11 ‘‘(3) ADDITIONAL EXTENDED BENEFIT PERIOD

12 TRIGGER.—

13 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Effective with respect 

14 to compensation for weeks of unemployment be15 ginning on or after the date of enactment of the 

16 Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act 

17 of 2003, an agreement under this title shall 

18 provide that, in addition to any other extended 

19 benefit period trigger, for purposes of beginning 

20 or ending any extended benefit period under 

21 this section—

22 ‘‘(i) there is a State ‘on’ indicator for 

23 a week if—

24 ‘‘(I) the average rate of total un25 employment in such State (seasonally 
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1 adjusted) for the period consisting of 

2 the most recent 3 months for which 

3 data for all States are published be4 fore the close of such week equals or 

5 exceeds 6 percent; and 

6 ‘‘(II) the average rate of total 

7 unemployment in such State (season8 ally adjusted) for the 3-month period 

9 referred to in clause (i) equals or ex10 ceeds 110 percent of such average

11 rate for either (or both) of the cor12 responding 3-month periods ending in 

13 the 2 preceding calendar years; and 

14 ‘‘(ii) there is a State ‘off’ indicator 

15 for a week if either the requirements of 

16 subclause (I) or (II) of clause (i) are not 

17 satisfied. 

18 ‘‘(B) NO EFFECT ON OTHER DETERMINA19 TIONS.—Notwithstanding the provisions of any 

20 agreement described in subparagraph (A), any 

21 week for which there would otherwise be a 

22 State ‘on’ indicator shall continue to be such a 

23 week and shall not be determined to be a week 

24 for which there is a State ‘off’ indicator. 
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1 ‘‘(C) DETERMINATIONS MADE BY THE

2 SECRETARY.—For purposes of this subsection, 

3 determinations of the rate of total unemploy4 ment in any State for any period (and of any 

5 seasonal adjustment) shall be made by the Sec6 retary.’’. 

7 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 203(c)(1) 

8 of the Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation 

9 Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–147; 116 Stat. 21) is 

10 amended by inserting ‘‘or (3)’’ after ‘‘paragraph (2)’’. 

11 SEC. 6. ADDITIONAL WEEKS OF BENEFITS FOR WORKERS 

12 IN HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT STATES. 

13 Section 203(c)(1) of the Temporary Extended Unem14 ployment Compensation Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–

15 147; 116 Stat. 30) is amended by striking ‘‘an amount 

16 equal to the amount originally established in such account 

17 (as determined under subsection (b)(1))’’ and inserting ‘‘7 

18 times the individual’s weekly benefit amount for the ben19 efit year’’. 

20 SEC. 7. EFFECTIVE DATE. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—Except as otherwise provided in 

22 this Act, the amendments made by this Act shall apply 

23 with respect to weeks of unemployment beginning on or 

24 after the date of enactment this Act. 

25 (b) RESUMPTION OF BENEFITS.—
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1 (1) RULE APPLICABLE TO EXHAUSTEES.—In 

2 the case of any individual—

3 (A) to whom any temporary extended un4 employment compensation was payable for any 

5 week beginning before January 1, 2003, and 

6 (B) who exhausted such individual’s rights 

7 to such compensation (by reason of the pay8 ment of all amounts in such individual’s tem9 porary extended unemployment compensation 

10 account) before January 1, 2003, 

11 such individual’s eligibility for any additional weeks 

12 of temporary extended unemployment compensation 

13 by reason of the amendments made by this Act shall 

14 apply with respect to weeks of unemployment begin15 ning on or after the date of enactment of this Act. 

16 (2) RULE APPLICABLE TO NON-EXHAUSTEES.—

17 In the case of any individual—

18 (A) to whom any temporary extended un19 employment compensation was payable for any 

20 week beginning before January 1, 2003, and 

21 (B) as to whom the condition described in 

22 paragraph (1)(B) does not apply, 

23 such individual shall, upon appropriate application, 

24 be eligible for temporary extended unemployment 

25 compensation (in accordance with the provisions of 
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1 the Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensa2 tion Act of 2002, as amended by this Act) with re3 spect to any weeks of unemployment beginning on or 

4 after December 29, 2002. 

5 (c) DATE FOR DETERMINING ELIGIBILITY OF

6 EXHAUSTEES FOR AUGMENTED BENEFITS.—In the case 

7 of any individual described in subsection (b)(1), the deter8 mination under section 203(c) as to whether such individ9 ual’s State is in an extended benefit period (for purposes 

10 of determining eligibility for augmented benefits under the 

11 Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 

12 2002, as amended by this Act) shall be made—

13 (1) as of the date of enactment of this Act, and 

14 (2) without regard to whether or not such a de15 termination was made under the Temporary Ex16 tended Unemployment Compensation Act of 2002, 

17 as in effect before the amendments made by this 

18 Act.

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