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Unemployment and Employment Programs Available to Workers from Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi Affected by Hurricane Katrina [September 15, 2005]
"A variety of unemployment and employment programs are available to unemployed workers in three of the states affected by Hurricane Katrina: Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Unemployment Compensation (UC)/Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits and Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) benefits are currently available to unemployed workers in these states. State unemployment taxes on employers pay for regular UC benefits. DUA benefits are federally funded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and administered by the Department of Labor (DOL) through each state's UC agency. A contact list is provided for current or evacuated residents in order for them to apply for available unemployment benefits. Another income support program that may become available to workers is the Extended Benefit (EB) program. Currently the EB program in these states is not activated. This paper also briefly summarizes the most recent Temporary Extension of Unemployment Compensation (TEUC) program. As of this writing, there is no TEUC program available to workers affected by Hurricane Katrina. The EB and TEUC programs would provide extensions to UC benefits (although not to DUA benefits) if triggered or activated. This report includes a brief description of how states borrow funds to pay for UC benefits should the need arise. […]. Affected workers may be eligible for employment and job training programs authorized under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). These programs include National Emergency Grants (NEGs), which fund disaster relief employment, and adult and dislocated worker training. These programs are administered by DOL. This report also briefly describes relevant legislation introduced in the 109th Congress (S. 1637)."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Whittaker, Julie M.
2005-09-15
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Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) [May 26, 2011]
"The Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) program provides income support to individuals who become unemployed as a direct result of a major disaster and who are not eligible for regular Unemployment Compensation (UC) benefits. DUA is funded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and is administered by the Department of Labor (DOL) through each state's UC agency. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-5, ARRA, or 'the 2009 stimulus package') contained one provision affecting unemployment DUA benefits. ARRA temporarily increased unemployment benefits by $25 per week for all recipients of regular UC, Extended Benefits (EB), Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC08), Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) programs, and DUA. DUA beneficiaries are not eligible to receive EUC08 benefits. This report contains information on how to ascertain if an individual is eligible for DUA benefits. The report will be updated as events warrant."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Whittaker, Julie M.; Shelton, Alison M.
2011-05-26
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Expediting the Return to Work: Approaches in the Unemployment Compensation Program [April 18, 2013]
"The most recent recession led to an unprecedented increase in the number of those unemployed for more than 26 weeks (the long-term unemployed). As a result, congressional interest in policy initiatives to expedite the return to work grew. This report examines a variety of initiatives and measures within the Unemployment Compensation (UC) program that might reduce long-term unemployment for beneficiaries. […] During and immediately following the recession, Congress provided incentives for states to adopt innovative ways of helping unemployed individuals return to work and enacted legislation that temporarily increased funding for various reemployment and training services. As the labor market continues to recover and the temporary funding ends, Congress may again consider policy initiatives that go beyond income replacement. These may include strategies that would speed up the reemployment of recipients who will not be returning to their previous employers. After a brief description of the federal-state unemployment insurance system, this report examines trends in the duration of unemployment benefits and then reviews a wide range of approaches for speeding the return to work. The report emphasizes measures that have recently been considered by lawmakers or have been tried on an experimental basis, particularly if evaluations of their impacts on duration of UC benefit receipt are available."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Whittaker, Julie M.; Smith, Ralph E.
2013-04-18
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Economic Slowdown: Issues and Policies [January 2, 2009]
"Recent policies have sought to contain damages spilling over from housing and financial markets to the broader economy, including monetary policy, the responsibility of the Federal Reserve, and fiscal policy. Legislators and the President adopted an economic stimulus package (P.L. [Public Law] 110-185) on February 13. Another stimulus package, H.R. 7110, passed the House in 2008. Over the past few months, the government has also intervened in specific financial markets, including financial assistance to troubled firms. Legislation authorizing a massive intervention in financial markets was adopted on October 3 (P.L. 110-343); it includes authority to purchase $700 billion in troubled assets. In addition, the Fed has lent directly to financial institutions through an array of new facilities, and the amounts of loans outstanding have risen into the hundreds of billions of dollars. Congressional leaders and President-Elect Obama have now proposed much larger stimulus packages, ranging from $600 to $850 billion, comprised of spending and tax cuts. The estimated budget cost of the stimulus enacted in February was about $150 billion for FY2008. The largest provision (in terms of budgetary cost) was a tax rebate for individuals. The Senate committee bill also included an extension in unemployment compensation benefits; the Iraq/Afghanistan supplemental appropriations completed June 26 included a 13-week extension, signed on June 30. The current stimulus proposal would increase spending on infrastructure, unemployment benefits, Medicaid, and food stamps by $50 to $60 billion; unemployment was extended by an additional seven weeks on November 21, 2008."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Gravelle, Jane; Hungerford, Thomas L.; Labonte, Marc . . .
2009-01-02
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Economic Slowdown: Issues and Policies [Updated October 17, 2008]
"Recent policies have sought to contain damages spilling over from housing and financial markets to the broader economy. These policies include monetary policy, which is the responsibility of the Federal Reserve, and fiscal policy. Legislators and the President adopted an economic stimulus package (P.L. [Public Law] 110-185) on February 13. Another stimulus package is under consideration. Over the past few months, the government has also intervened in specific financial markets, including financial assistance to troubled firms. Legislation authorizing a massive intervention in financial markets was adopted on October 3 (P.L. 110-343); it includes authority to purchase $700 billion in troubled assets. The estimated budget cost of the stimulus enacted in February was about $150 billion for FY2008. The largest provision (in terms of budgetary cost) was a tax rebate for individuals. The Senate committee bill also included an extension in unemployment compensation benefits; the Iraq/Afghanistan supplemental appropriations completed June 26 included a 13-week extension, signed on June 30. The current stimulus proposal would increase spending on infrastructure, unemployment benefits, Medicaid, and food stamps by $50 to $60 billion."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Gravelle, Jane; Hungerford, Thomas L.; Labonte, Marc . . .
2008-10-17
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Extending Unemployment Compensation Benefits During Recessions [May 2, 2013]
"This report describes the history of temporary federal extensions to unemployment benefits from 1980 to the present. Among these extensions is the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC08) program created by P.L. [Public Law] 110-252 (amended by P.L. 110-449, P.L. 111-5, P.L. 111-92, P.L. 111-118, P.L. 111-144, P.L. 111-157, P.L. 111-205, P.L. 111-312, P.L. 112-78, P.L. 112-96, and P.L. 112-240). This report contains five sections. The first section provides background information on unemployment compensation (UC) benefits. It also provides a brief summary of UC benefit exhaustion and how exhaustion rates are related to the business cycle. The second section provides the definition of a recession as well as the determination process for declaring a recession. It also provides information on the timing of all recessions since 1980. The third section summarizes the legislative history of federal extensions of unemployment benefits. It includes information on the permanently authorized extended benefit (EB) program as well as information on temporary unemployment benefit extensions. It also includes a brief discussion on the role of extended unemployment benefits as part of an economic stimulus package. The fourth section provides figures examining the timing of recessions and statistics that may be considered for determining extending unemployment benefits. The fifth section briefly discusses previous methods for financing these temporary programs. In particular it attempts to identify provisions in temporary extension legislation that may have led to increases in revenue or decreases in spending related to unemployment benefits. This report will be updated to reflect new laws extending unemployment benefits."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Whittaker, Julie M.; Isaacs, Katelin P., 1980-
2013-05-02
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Tax Provisions to Assist with Disaster Recovery [February 6, 2013]
"Relief after a natural or man-made disaster may come from what many might consider an unlikely source: the Internal Revenue Code (IRC). The IRC includes several tax relief provisions that apply to affected taxpayers. Some of these provisions are permanent. The following are among the permanent provisions discussed in this report: [1] casualty loss deductions, IRC Section 165; [2] exemption from taxation for disaster relief payments to individuals, IRC Section 139; [3] exemption from taxation for certain insurance payments, IRC Section 123; and [4] deferral of gain from the involuntary conversion of homes destroyed or damaged by a disaster, IRC Section 1033. […] This report provides a basic overview of existing, permanent provisions that benefit victims of disasters, as well as past, targeted legislative responses to particular disasters. The relief is discussed without examining either the qualifications for or the limitation on claiming the provisions' benefits. In light of Hurricane Sandy, this report is designed to help Congress identify previous legislative responses to recent disasters."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Lunder, Erika; Pettit, Carol A.; Teefy, Jennifer
2013-02-06
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Chained Consumer Price Index: What is it and Would it be Appropriate for Cost-of-Living Adjustments? [May 8, 2013]
"This report provides technical and logistical information on how the Chained Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers (C-CPI-U) is constructed and reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). It explains methodological and statistical differences between the standard Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the C-CPI-U. It then addresses a key impediment to moving to the C-CPI-U. The report closes with a discussion of the potential impact of such a switch on the federal budget deficit."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Whittaker, Julie M.
2013-05-08
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Unemployment Compensation (Insurance) and Military Service [April 24, 2013]
"The Unemployment Compensation (UC) program contains several provisions relevant to current and former military service personnel and their families. The UC program does not provide benefits for military servicemembers on active duty. However, former active duty military personnel (and certain reservists) separated from active duty may be eligible for Unemployment Compensation for Ex-Servicemembers (UCX). Spouses of military service personnel who voluntarily quit a job to accompany their spouses on account of a military transfer may be eligible for UC benefits, based on the laws of the state where the civilian spouse was employed. Military service of business owners, employees, and employees' spouses may impact the state unemployment tax rate that certain employers face. States may choose to create provisions that remove or limit these tax increases in certain situations."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Whittaker, Julie M.
2013-04-24
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FY2011 Budget Documents: Internet and GPO Availability [March 8, 2010]
"Every year, the President submits to Congress a series of volumes containing the President's proposed budget for the coming fiscal year. By law, the proposal is due by the first Monday in February. Neither the Congressional Research Service (CRS) nor the Library of Congress can provide distribution copies of budget documents. This report provides brief descriptions of the budget volumes and related documents, together with Internet addresses, Government Printing Office (GPO) stock numbers, and prices to obtain these publications. It also tells how to find locations of government depository libraries, which can provide both printed copies for reference use and Internet access to the text. This report will be updated as events warrant."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Teefy, Jennifer
2010-03-08
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U.S. International Food Assistance: An Overview [December 6, 2018]
"The United States has played a leading role in global efforts to alleviate hunger and improve food security. Current food assistance programs originated in 1954 with the passage of what is now named the Food for Peace Act (FFPA, P.L.83-480). This legislation, commonly referred to as 'P.L. 480,' established the Food for Peace program (FFP). Originally, FFP had multiple aims: (1) to provide food to undernourished people abroad, (2) to reduce U.S. stocks of surplus grains that had accumulated under U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) commodity support programs, and (3) to expand potential markets for U.S. food commodities. Since the end of the Cold War, U.S. food assistance goals have shifted away from the latter two aims and more toward emergency response and supporting recipient country agriculture markets."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Casey, Alyssa R.
2018-12-06
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Unemployment and Employment Programs Available to Workers Affected by Disasters [April 30, 2018]
"The federal government supports several programs that can provide assistance to workers who lose their jobs as a result of a natural or other disaster. In many cases, disaster-affected workers will be served by permanent programs and systems that generally provide assistance to workers who involuntarily lose their jobs. In some cases, disaster-triggered federal supports may be made available to provide additional assistance or aid to workers who do not qualify for assistance under the permanent programs. This report discusses two income support programs and two workforce service programs. In each benefit category, there is a broader permanent program and a more-targeted program for disaster-affected workers. All of these programs are administered through state agencies and some programmatic details may be state-specific."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Collins, Benjamin; Bradley, David H.; Isaacs, Katelin P., 1980- . . .
2018-04-30
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Tracking Federal Awards: USAspending.gov and Other Data Sources [December 7, 2017]
"USAspending.gov, available at http://www.USAspending.gov, is a government source for data on federal awards by state, congressional district (CD), county, and zip code. The awards data in USAspending.gov are provided by federal agencies and represent contracts, grants, loans, and other forms of financial assistance. Using USAspending.gov to locate and compile accurate data on federal awards can be challenging due to continued data quality problems identified by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). Users of USAspending.gov need to be aware that while search results may be useful for informing consideration for certain questions, these results may be incomplete or contain inaccuracies. USAspending.gov was created under P.L. 109-282, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (FFATA), and is being enhanced by requirements of P.L. 113-101, the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014 (DATA Act). Other related sources reviewed in this report include the following: [1] Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS); [2] Census Federal Audit Clearinghouse; [3] U.S. Budget: Aid to State and Local Governments; [4] Pew Charitable Trusts Fiscal Federalism Initiative; [5] National Priorities Project; [6] Census Federal Aid to States (FAS) and Consolidated Federal Funds Report (CFFR); and [7] Additional federal grant awards databases, including sources tracking medical, scientific, and technical research."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Teefy, Jennifer
2017-12-07
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Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) [October 19, 2018]
"Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) benefits are available only to those individuals who have become unemployed as a direct result of a declared major disaster and are not eligible for regular Unemployment Compensation (UC). First created in 1970 through P.L. 91-606, DUA benefits are authorized by the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Relief Act (the Stafford Act), which authorizes the President to issue a major disaster declaration after state and local government resources have been overwhelmed by a natural catastrophe or, 'regardless of cause, any fire, flood, or explosion in any part of the United States' (42 U.S.C. §5122(2)). The DUA program provides income support to individuals who become unemployed as a direct result of a major disaster and who have no remaining entitlement for regular UC benefits. DUA is funded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and is administered by the Department of Labor (DOL) through each state's UC agency. DUA beneficiaries (because they are not entitled to regular UC) are not eligible to receive Extended Benefits (EB)."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Whittaker, Julie M.
2018-10-19
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Resources for Key Economic Indicators [May 30, 2018]
"An understanding of economic indicators and their significance is seen as essential to the formulation of economic policies. These indicators, or statistics, provide snapshots of an economy's health as well as starting points for economic analysis. This report contains a list of selected authoritative U.S. government sources of economic indicators, such as gross domestic product (GDP), income, inflation, and labor force (including employment and unemployment) statistics."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Teefy, Jennifer; Jennings, Julie
2018-05-30
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Tracking Federal Awards in States and Congressional Districts Using USAspending.gov [Updated April 26, 2019]
From the Overview: "USAspending.gov, available to the public at http://www.USAspending.gov, is a government source for data on federal awards by state, congressional district (CD), zip code, and county. The awards data in USAspending.gov is provided by federal agencies and represents grants, contracts, loans, and other financial assistance. Grant awards include money the federal government commits for projects in states, local jurisdictions, regions, territories, and tribal reservations, as well as payments for eligible needs to help individuals and families. Contract awards refer to bids and agreements the federal government makes for specific goods and services. USAspending.gov does not include data on actual spending by recipients."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Teefy, Jennifer
2019-04-26
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Fundamentals of Unemployment Compensation [Updated February 8, 2019]
"The joint federal-state Unemployment Compensation (UC) program provides income support through UC benefit payments. Although there are broad requirements under federal law regarding UC benefits and financing, the specifics are set out under each state's laws. States administer UC benefits with U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) oversight, resulting in 53 different UC programs operated in the states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Total UC expenditures include benefits and administrative costs. During economic expansions, states fund approximately 85%-90% of all UC expenditures--as almost all of the benefits are state-financed by state unemployment taxes. In comparison, federal expenditures are relatively small during these expansions (approximately 10%-15%) in which federal expenditures are primarily administrative grants to the states financed by federal unemployment taxes."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Whittaker, Julie M.; Isaacs, Katelin P., 1980-
2019-02-08
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Tax Policy and Disaster Recovery [August 9, 2019]
From the Document: "The Internal Revenue Code (IRC) contains a number of provisions intended to provide disaster relief. Following certain disasters, Congress has passed legislation with temporary and targeted tax relief policies. At other times, Congress has passed legislation providing tax relief to those affected by all federally declared major disasters (disasters with Stafford Act declarations) occurring during a set time period. In addition, several disaster tax relief provisions are permanent features of the IRC."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Sherlock, Molly F.; Teefy, Jennifer
2019-08-09
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Tracking Federal Awards: USAspending.gov and Other Data Sources [Updated April 26, 2019]
From the Summary: "USAspending.gov, available at http://www.USAspending.gov, is a government source for data on federal awards by state, congressional district (CD), county, and zip code. The awards data in USAspending.gov are provided by federal agencies and represent contracts, grants, loans, and other forms of financial assistance. USAspending.gov also provides tools for examining the broader picture of federal spending obligations by categories, such as budget function, agency, and object class. Using USAspending.gov to locate and compile accurate data on federal awards can be challenging due, in part, to continuing data quality issues that have been identified by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). Users of USAspending.gov need to be aware that while search results may be useful for informing consideration of certain questions, these results may be incomplete or contain inaccuracies."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Teefy, Jennifer
2019-04-26
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Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) [Updated June 24, 2019]
From the Summary: "Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) benefits are available only to those individuals who have become unemployed as a direct result of a declared major disaster and are not eligible for regular Unemployment Compensation (UC). First created in 1970 through P.L. 91-606, DUA benefits are authorized by the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Relief Act (the Stafford Act), which authorizes the President to issue a major disaster declaration after state and local government resources have been overwhelmed by a natural catastrophe or, 'regardless of cause, any fire, flood, or explosion in any part of the United States' (42 U.S.C. §5122(2)). The DUA program provides income support to individuals who become unemployed as a direct result of a major disaster and who have no remaining entitlement for regular UC benefits. DUA is funded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and is administered by the Department of Labor (DOL) through each state's UC agency. DUA beneficiaries (because they are not entitled to regular UC) are not eligible to receive Extended Benefits (EB). On October 5, 2018, P.L. 115-254, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, was signed into law. Among its many provisions, it temporarily extends the duration of DUA for an additional 26 weeks (up to 52 weeks total) for persons who were unemployed in Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands as a direct result of the 2017 Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria disasters."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Whittaker, Julie M.
2019-06-24
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Minimum Wages and the Raise the Wage Act (H.R. 582) [August 5, 2019]
From the Document: "Since 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA, 29 U.S.C. §206) has required that certain workers be paid a minimum wage. Since then, Congress has raised the minimum wage rate 22 times, from $0.25 per hour in 1938 to its last increase on July 24, 2009, to $7.25. (P.L. 110-28 increased it from $5.15 to $7.25 in three steps beginning in 2007). Currently, the FLSA covers most, but not all, enterprises and private and public sector employees. Certain employers and employees are exempt from all or parts of the FLSA minimum wage provisions, either because they do not meet individual or enterprise coverage criteria or through specific exemptions included in the act."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Bradley, David H.; Whittaker, Julie M.
2019-08-05
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Unemployment Insurance: Legislative Issues in the 113th Congress [September 5, 2013]
"The 113th Congress may face a number of issues related to currently available unemployment insurance programs: Unemployment Compensation (UC), temporary Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC08), and Extended Benefits (EB). With the national unemployment rate decreasing but still high, the weekly demand for extended unemployment benefits continues at elevated levels. Congress deliberated multiple times on whether to extend the authorization for several key temporary unemployment insurance provisions in the 112th Congress and may do so again in the 113th Congress. The signing of P.L. [Public Law] 112-240 on January 2, 2013, now means that the EUC08 program expires the week ending on or before January 1, 2014. The 100% federal financing of the EB program expires on December 31, 2013. In addition, the option for states to use three-year EB trigger lookbacks (the period of time considered in determining an active EB program within a state) expires the week ending on or before December 31, 2013. The 113th Congress will face these expirations as well as likely unemployment insurance policy issues, including unemployment insurance financing, integrity measures, and the appropriate length and availability of unemployment benefits."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Whittaker, Julie M.; Isaacs, Katelin P., 1980-
2013-09-05
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Potential Employer Penalties Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA)
"Employer-sponsored health insurance is an important source of coverage for the nonelderly, covering about 58% of workers in 2011. Large firms were more likely to provide health insurance to their employees as compared to small firms. According to Kaiser Family Foundation, 99% of firms with 200 or more employees offered health insurance coverage to their workers, while 59% of firms with 3 to 199 employees offered health insurance coverage in 2011. Among very small firms (with 3 to 9 employees), 48% offered health insurance coverage. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA, P.L. 111-148, as amended) was intended to expand insurance coverage in the United States. To ensure that employers continue to provide some degree of coverage, the ACA includes a 'shared responsibility' provision. The provision does not explicitly mandate that employers offer their employees acceptable health insurance. However, it does impose penalties on certain firms with at least 50 full-time 'equivalent' employees, if one or more of their full-time employees obtains a premium tax credit through the newly established health insurance exchanges. An individual may be eligible for a premium tax credit if his or her income is below certain thresholds and the individual's employer does not offer health coverage, or offers insurance that is 'not affordable' or does not provide 'minimum value,' as defined by the ACA. This report describes the potential employer penalties, as well as proposed regulations to implement the ACA employer provisions. The regulations address insurance coverage requirements; methodologies for determining whether a worker is considered full time; provisions relating to seasonal workers and corporate franchises; and other reporting requirements."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Whittaker, Julie M.
2013-07-23
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Chained Consumer Price Index: What is it and Would it be Appropriate for Cost-of-Living Adjustments? [June 12, 2013]
"The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publishes two important measures of inflation: the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers (CPI-U) and the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). (Hereinafter in this report, the CPI-W and CPI-U will be referred to collectively as the standard CPI.) The standard CPI might seem like just another economic indicator, but it is a powerful policy lever. Because the CPI-W is used to calculate annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) to Social Security retirement benefits and the CPI-U is used to calculate annual inflation adjustments to personal income tax brackets, for example, changing the basis of the adjustments could substantially affect outlays and revenues. Since August 2002, BLS has published a supplemental measure known as the Chained Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers (C-CPI-U). The aim of the C-CPI-U is to produce a measure of change in consumer prices that is free of substitution bias. One of the difficulties in estimating cost-of-living changes is that consumers often alter their buying patterns in response to changing relative prices. In other words, consumers tend to buy more of the goods and services whose prices are rising slower than average and fewer of the goods and services whose prices are rising faster than average. Substitution is believed to insulate consumers from the full effect of rising prices on maintaining their standard of living. Because the CPI-W and CPI-U do not entirely account for substitution, they overstate the impact of inflation on consumer well-being. As a result of better reflecting consumer substitution, the C-CPI-U has typically increased to a lesser extent than either the CPI-U or CPI-W. This relationship has prompted calls for switching to the C-CPI-U when calculating automatic adjustments to inflation-indexed federal programs and individual tax provisions to slow growth in the budget deficit. The 2010 'Simpson-Bowles' report recommended government-wide replacement of the CPI-W and CPI-U with the chained CPI, for example. In April 2013, a modified version of the Chained CPI-U proposal was included in President Obama's Fiscal Year 2014 Budget."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Whittaker, Julie M.
2013-06-12
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Trade Preferences for Developing Countries and the WTO [Updated September 25, 2006]
"World Trade Organization (WTO) Members must grant immediate and unconditional most-favored-nation (MFN) treatment to the products of other Members with respect to tariffs and other trade-related measures. Programs such as the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), under which developed countries grant preferential tariff rates to developing country products, are facially inconsistent with this obligation because they accord goods of some countries more favorable tariff treatment than that accorded to goods of other WTO Members. Because such programs have been viewed as trade-expanding, however, Contracting Parties to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) provided a legal basis for one-way tariff preferences and certain other preferential arrangements in a 1979 decision known as the Enabling Clause. In 2004, the WTO Appellate Body ruled that the Clause allows developed countries to offer different treatment to developing countries, but only if identical treatment is available to all similarly situated GSP beneficiaries. Where WTO Members' preference programs have provided expanded benefits, the WTO has on occasion waived Members' WTO obligations. A number of trade preference bills have been introduced in the 109th Congress, including proposed extensions of the GSP and Andean preference programs, each of which is set to expire in 2006. Among these are H.R. 5070, which would extend the GSP and Andean preferences for one year and expand and extend textile benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA); H.R. 6076 and S. 3904, which would extend until 2008 the GSP, Andean preferences, and a third-country fabric provision for lesser-developed beneficiaries expiring in 2007; and H.R. 6142, which would extend the GSP and the AGOA third-country fabric provision until 2008 and expand textile and apparel benefits for Haiti. This report will be updated."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Grimmett, Jeanne J.
2006-09-25
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Trade Preferences for Developing Countries and the WTO [Updated January 8, 2007]
"World Trade Organization (WTO) Members must grant immediate and unconditional most-favored-nation (MFN) treatment to the products of other Members with respect to tariffs and other trade-related measures. Programs such as the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), under which developed countries grant preferential tariff rates to developing country products, are facially inconsistent with this obligation because they accord goods of some countries more favorable tariff treatment than that accorded to goods of other WTO Members. Because such programs have been viewed as trade-expanding, however, Contracting Parties to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) provided a legal basis for one-way tariff preferences and certain other preferential arrangements in a 1979 decision known as the Enabling Clause. In 2004, the WTO Appellate Body ruled that the Clause allows developed countries to offer different treatment to developing countries in a GSP program, but only if identical treatment is available to all similarly situated GSP beneficiaries. Where WTO Members' preference programs have provided expanded benefits, Members (including the United States) have in many instances obtained WTO waivers. With the GSP and Andean preference programs set to expire at the end of 2006, Congress enacted legislation in December 2006 (P.L. 109-432) extending the GSP for two years and extending Andean preferences until June 30, 2007, with the possibility of conditional extension thereafter. The statute also extends until September 30, 2012, with amendments, a provision in the African Growth and Opportunity Act allowing lesserdeveloped beneficiary countries to receive duty-free benefits for apparel made with third country fabric or yarn and expands textile and apparel benefits for Haiti. This report will be updated."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Grimmett, Jeanne J.
2007-01-08
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Trade Preferences for Developing Countries and the WTO [Updated January 18, 2007]
"World Trade Organization (WTO) Members must grant immediate and unconditional most-favored-nation (MFN) treatment to the products of other Members with respect to tariffs and other trade-related measures. Programs such as the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), under which developed countries grant preferential tariff rates to developing country products, are facially inconsistent with this obligation because they accord goods of some countries more favorable tariff treatment than that accorded to goods of other WTO Members. Because such programs have been viewed as trade-expanding, however, Contracting Parties to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) provided a legal basis for one-way tariff preferences and certain other preferential arrangements in a 1979 decision known as the Enabling Clause. In 2004, the WTO Appellate Body ruled that the Clause allows developed countries to offer different treatment to developing countries in a GSP program, but only if identical treatment is available to all similarly situated GSP beneficiaries. Where WTO Members' preference programs have provided expanded benefits, Members, including the United States, have in many instances obtained WTO waivers. With the GSP and Andean preference programs expiring at the end of 2006, Congress enacted legislation late in the 109th Congress (P.L. 109-432) extending the GSP for two years and extending Andean preferences until June 30, 2007, with conditional extension thereafter. The new statute also extends a third-country fabric provision in the African Growth and Opportunity Act and expands textile benefits for Haiti. As the GSP and Andean programs are now set to expire within the next two years, Congress may consider these programs as well as other preference proposals in the 110th Congress. This report will be updated."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Grimmett, Jeanne J.
2007-01-18
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Impact of Sequestration on Unemployment Insurance Benefits: Frequently Asked Questions [July 2, 2013]
"'Sequestration' refers to a process of automatic, largely across-the-board spending reductions under which budgetary resources are permanently canceled to enforce certain budget policy goals. Most recently, sequestration was triggered by the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA; P.L. [Public Law] 112-25) and implemented on March 1, 2013 (delayed by P.L. 112-240). Some, but not all, types of unemployment insurance (UI) benefits are subject to reductions under the BCA sequester. Regular Unemployment Compensation (UC), Unemployment Compensation for Ex-Servicemembers (UCX), and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) benefits are specifically exempt from the sequester reductions. UI payments from the Extended Benefit (EB) and Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC08) programs, however, are subject to the sequester reductions. States administer all types of UI benefits. Therefore, states are responsible for carrying out the sequester reduction in UI benefit payments. The amount and method by which a UI recipient's benefit is reduced varies by the state and by the date when the reduction begins. This report provides brief answers to some frequently asked questions regarding sequestration and unemployment insurance benefits."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Isaacs, Katelin P., 1980-; Whittaker, Julie M.
2013-07-02
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Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) [September 14, 2005]
"The Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) program provides monetary assistance to individuals unemployed as a direct result of a major disaster and who are not eligible for regular Unemployment Compensation (UC) benefits. DUA is funded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). DUA is administered by the Department of Labor through each state's UC agency. In the 107th Congress, P.L. 107-154 was signed into law on March 25, 2002, extending the duration of DUA benefits from 26 to 39 weeks for victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the declared major disaster areas in New York and Virginia. This extension did not apply to any subsequent major disasters. This report also briefly describes legislation introduced in the 109th Congress (S. 1637). The report will be updated as events warrant."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Whittaker, Julie M.
2005-09-14
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Current Status of Unemployment Insurance (UI) Benefits: Permanent-Law Programs and COVID-19 Pandemic Response [Updated March 23, 2021]
From the Document: "The Unemployment Insurance (UI) system is constructed as a joint federal-state partnership, in which the Unemployment Compensation (UC) program and the UC benefit are the foundation of the UI system. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) provides oversight of state UC programs and the state administration of federalUI benefits. Although there are broad requirements under federal law regarding UC benefits and financing, the specifics are set out under each state's laws, resulting in 53 different UC programs operated in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. States operate their own UC programs and administer any temporary, federal UI benefits. A state UC program determines the weekly benefit amount and the number of weeks of UC available to unemployed workers. Most states provide up to 26 weeks of UC to eligible individuals who become involuntarily unemployed for economic reasons and meet state-established eligibility rules."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Whittaker, Julie M.; Isaacs, Katelin P., 1980-
2021-03-23
