I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 19
To provide for a program of temporary enhanced unemployment benefits. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 7, 2003
Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Mr. RANGEL, and Mr. LEVIN) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means 
A BILL 
To provide for a program of temporary enhanced 
unemployment benefits.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Economic Security Act 
of 2003’’. 
SEC. 2. FEDERAL-STATE AGREEMENTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Any State which desires to do so 
may enter into and participate in an agreement under this 
Act with the Secretary of Labor (hereinafter in this Act 
referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’). Any State which is a party 
to an agreement under this Act may, upon providing 30
days’ written notice to the Secretary, terminate such 
agreement. 
(b) PROVISIONS OF AGREEMENT.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Any agreement under sub-
section (a) shall provide that the State agency of the 
State will make payments of regular compensation 
to individuals in amounts and to the extent that they 
would be determined if the State law were applied 
with the modifications described in paragraph (2). 
(2) MODIFICATIONS
DESCRIBED.—The modi-
fications described in this paragraph are as follows: 
(A) In the case of an individual who is not 
eligible for regular compensation under the 
State law because of the use of a definition of 
base period that does not count wages earned 
in the most recently completed calendar quar-
ter, then eligibility for compensation under this 
title shall be determined by applying a base pe-
riod ending at the close of the most recently 
completed calendar quarter. 
(B) In the case of an individual who is not 
eligible for regular compensation under the 
State law because such individual does not meet 
requirements relating to availability for work, 
active search for work, or refusal to accept
work, because such individual is seeking, or is 
available for, less than full-time work, then 
compensation under this title shall not be de-
nied by such State to an otherwise eligible indi-
vidual who seeks less than full-time work or 
fails to accept full-time work. 
(C) The amount of regular compensation 
(including dependents’ allowances) payable for 
any week shall be equal to the amount deter-
mined under the State law (before the applica-
tion of this subparagraph), plus an additional—
(i) 15 percent; or 
(ii) $25, 
whichever is greater. 
(c) NONREDUCTION RULE.—Under the agreement, 
subsection (b)(2)(C) shall not apply (or shall cease to 
apply) with respect to a State upon a determination by 
the Secretary that the method governing the computation 
of regular compensation under the State law of that State 
has been modified in a way such that—
(1) the average weekly amount of regular com-
pensation which will be payable during the period of 
the agreement (determined disregarding the modi-
fications described in subsection (b)(2)) will be less 
than
(2) the average weekly amount of regular com-
pensation which would otherwise have been payable 
during such period under the State law, as in effect 
on September 11, 2001. 
(d) COORDINATION RULE.—The modifications de-
scribed in subsection (b)(2) shall also apply in determining 
the amount of benefits payable under any Federal law to 
the extent that those benefits are determined by reference 
to regular compensation payable under the State law of 
the State involved. 
SEC. 3. PAYMENTS TO STATES HAVING AGREEMENTS 
UNDER THIS ACT. 
(a) GENERAL RULE.—There shall be paid to each 
State which has entered into an agreement under this Act 
an amount equal to—
(1) 100 percent of any regular compensation 
made payable to individuals by such State by virtue 
of the modifications which are described in section 
2(b)(2) and deemed to be in effect with respect to 
such State pursuant to section 2(b)(1), and 
(2) 100 percent of any regular compensation—
(A) which is paid to individuals by such 
State by reason of the fact that its State law 
contains provisions comparable to the modifica-