| Ed. Note: TexBlog PAC is trying to raise money to play a serious role in ousting Republicans from the Governor's office so we can take back Texas. Donate today if you want to help us in our fight! As I mentioned in the post below, House Appropriations Chair, Republican Jim Pitts, voted in favor of a motion to accept the unemployment benefit funds that Rick Perry "rejected" today. I thought it would be informative to talk about what that motion actually involved. I will use a summary from Rep. Coleman's press release to explain the motion:  Texas law already complies with a portion of the criteria needed to receive the full
Texas law already complies with a portion of the criteria needed to receive the full $555 million from the Recovery Act. To receive the funds, the Legislature must make three modifications to existing law: ~ Alter the base period calculation for unemployment.
~ Alter the compelling reasons criteria for a qualifying job loss.
~ Alter either the training or the part-time worker provisions of Texas law.
The motion also states that the benefit to the state in 2011-2012 "would be approximately $474 million to the Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund" and that, if it is not repealed (as Perry promised and as Hutchison is polling on as we speak), the $555 million would "fully fund the modification until 2017.  The release goes on to state how Republican Party Chair Chairman of the Texas Workforce Commission, Tom Paunken, agrees with the motion that was supported -- by a 5-1 vote -- by the Select Committee on Federal Economic Stabilization Funding. Again, from the release:
Tom Pauken, Chairman of the Texas Workforce Commission, has already indicated that he will work on legislation with Representative Tan Parker and Representative Joe Deshotel that will take the action necessary to draw down federal funds that Texas employers have paid in to, and to prevent an unnecessary increase in deficit taxes.
Remember, Pauken already testified in Senate committee to Austin Senator Kirk Watson that he the state needed the funds. As State Senator Leticia Van de Putte informed us in her interview a few weeks ago: We are very happy that on record this week Senator Kirk Watson -- who sits on the Senate Nominations Committee -- got Tom Pauken to publicly recognize the fact that, yes, we absolutely need these dollars and we need to change the law in the state of Texas to be able to get those stimulus dollars to the state of Texas.
State Representative Garnet Coleman's release stated that the Select Committee has discovered in their hearings that: Since the beginning of the economic downturn, over 250,000 Texans have lost their jobs. By September 2009, the state's Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund will have a deficit of at least $800 million, triggering the implementation of a deficit tax on Texas employers. This deficit tax will likely double the overall unemployment tax burden on the average Texas employer. Texas Democrats are taking direct and responsible action to help unemployed workers in the state of Texas. As Governor Rick Perry crows for his Republican base and Senator Hutchison cowers in D.C. testing a poll-driven message from the cowardice center, Texas Democrats are fighting for Texas families to ensure their tax dollars are delivered straight to their kitchen tables. Days like today are why I am damn proud to be a Democrat. ----------------------------------- Ed. Note: State Senator Leticia Van de Putte discussed legislation she filed weeks ago to help address the solvency of the unemployment insurance fund in an interview I did with her on BOR. Read my BOR interview with Leticia Van de Putte to learn more. |
