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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The Illinois Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund
3went into debt during the recent economic recession and will
4not reach solvency for years to come; and
 
5    WHEREAS, The State of Illinois borrowed from the federal
6government to continue to meet its benefit obligations during
7the recession; and
 
8    WHEREAS, The federal interest waiver on these loans expired
9in January of 2011 and the State of Illinois has been accruing
10interest on these federal loans; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Representatives of the Illinois business and
12labor communities met over the last 3 months in an effort to
13reach a joint agreement on these debt and deficit issues; and
 
14    WHEREAS, This working group sought to address the immediate
15and long term solvency issues of the Illinois Unemployment
16Insurance Trust Fund; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Representatives of business and labor reached an
18agreement to address the immediate solvency issues of the trust
19fund and outstanding debt to the federal government, the
20product of which has been committed as House Amendment 4 and

 

 

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1House Amendment 5 to Senate Bill 72 of the 97th General
2Assembly; and
 
3    WHEREAS, The Trust Fund debt is not the result of
4overspending but rather a direct result of an economic downturn
5that forced employers to reduce their workforce, and as a
6consequence increased the numbers drawing unemployment
7benefits in Illinois; and
 
8    WHEREAS, A sustainable Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund
9is necessary to provide an adequate social safety net to the
10citizens of Illinois and a healthy trust fund is necessary to
11ameliorate; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Unemployment rates in Illinois remain
13unyieldingly high, and it is in the interest of the people of
14the State of Illinois for their General Assembly to monitor,
15study, and correct any shortcomings in the structure and
16operation of the Illinois Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund;
17and
 
18    WHEREAS, House Amendment 4 and House Amendment 5 to Senate
19Bill 72 of the 97th General Assembly include specific points in
20time, specifically in 2016 and again in 2018, at which business
21and labor representatives will have again worked to realize
22long term sustainable goals for the State's Unemployment

 

 

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1Insurance Trust Fund and the related benefit system; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Both business and labor representatives recognize
3and agree that long-term reforms would benefit the unemployment
4insurance system in Illinois; therefore, be it
 
5    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL
6ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that the Illinois
7Unemployment Insurance Reform Committee is hereby created to
8study the system of unemployment insurance benefits, trust fund
9stability, and reforms that interested parties believe are
10warranted; and be it further
 
11    RESOLVED, That within 90 days after the adoption of this
12resolution the President of the Illinois Senate and the Speaker
13of the Illinois House shall each appoint 2 representatives of
14organized labor, and the Minority Leader of the Senate and the
15Minority Leader of the House shall each appoint 2
16representatives of the state's employers; and be it further
 
17    RESOLVED, That within 90 days after the adoption of this
18resolution the President of the Illinois Senate, the Minority
19Leader of the Senate, the Speaker of the Illinois House, and
20the Minority Leader of the Illinois House shall each appoint
21one member of their respective caucuses to the Unemployment
22Insurance Reform Committee; and be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Employment
2Security shall provide all necessary and requested technical
3and advisory assistance to the Reform Committee; and be it
4further
 
5    RESOLVED, That the Illinois Unemployment Insurance Reform
6Committee shall recommend the structure and reforms necessary
7to stabilize and ensure an adequate and sound Unemployment
8Insurance Trust Fund and benefits system for Illinois; and be
9it further
 
10    RESOLVED, That the Illinois Unemployment Insurance Reform
11Committee shall submit a written report of their activities and
12recommendations, by majority vote of the members appointed, to
13the General Assembly by January 1, 2015.