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CPPP Congratulates Texas Senate for Unemployment Insurance Vote, Urges Swift Passage by House

Austin, Texas---The Center for Public Policy Priorities today applauded the Texas Senate for passing CSSB 1569, which will help modernize Texas’ unemployment insurance (UI) system. The Texas House of Representatives must now approve companion legislation before it can be sent to the governor for his signature.

CPPP Senior Policy Analyst Don Baylor said:

“Voting to modernize Texas’ out-of-date unemployment insurance system (UI) was the right choice for Texans. The Senate showed it understands the severity of the economic crisis and the role UI benefits can play in getting our state back on the road to economic recovery.

"With about 800,000 unemployed Texans, 47,000 losing their jobs in March alone, and with an employment rate now at 6.7 percent, UI is more important than ever. Modernizing the system will keep money flowing into local economies to support small businesses and protect the overall health of the economy. And, modernized unemployment insurance will help protect our low- and moderate-income families from the worst effects of the economic crisis.

“We urge the Texas House of Representatives to pass the senate bill quickly, and without changes, so that Texas can benefit from an updated unemployment insurance system as soon as possible.”

Last week, CPPP released data on the benefits of UI modernization for each Texas Senate district, available online at: http://www.cppp.org/files/UIModernizationBySenateDistrict.pdf.

More information on the importance of UI and the need to modernize it can be found at: http://www.cppp.org/research.php?aid=854.