Beck and DeLaney send letter to leadership, fighting for unemployment benefits for Indiana’s workers and employers

INDIANAPOLIS – State Representatives Lisa Beck (D-Lakes of the Four Seasons) and Ed DeLaney (D-Indianapolis) today sent a letter to Chairman of the Indiana House Ways and Means Committee Tim Brown and Chairman of the Indiana House Employment, Labor and Pensions Committee Heath VanNatter. In the letter, Beck and DeLaney implored the legislators to act to protect Hoosier workers and employers.

The legislators have two simple requests of Brown and VanNatter:

• “Use your leadership positions to advocate for the Hoosier State's laid-off workers and employers with our Congressional members. Urge Indiana's United States Congressional members to restore in its entirety the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) that expired on July 31. President Trump's memorandum to divert funds for the Federal Emergency Management Act (FEMA) for “lost wage assistance” is a convoluted and short-term proposal. FEMA does not have the funding to maintain the program beyond a few weeks. All of this is why Congress needs to again pass a $600 per week unemployment benefit.”

• “Hold hearings in our state legislature pertaining to changes in unemployment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Indiana is facing two urgent crises around unemployment that cannot wait until the 2021 legislative session: 1.) the draining of our state's unemployment trust fund, and 2.) the lack of long-term coverage in Indiana's current unemployment insurance policies. The former needs to be solved to continue funding workers in need, and the latter must include a permanent policy that covers gig workers.”

Beck currently serves as Ranking Minority Member of the Employment, Labor and Pensions Committee and DeLaney is a member of the Ways and Means Committee.                                                                                                                                  

Read the full letter below.

August 31, 2020

The Honorable Tim Brown, The Honorable Heath VanNatter
Chairman, Indiana House Ways and Means Committee
Chairman, Indiana House Employment, Labor and Pensions Committee
200 W. Washington St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204

Dear Chairmen Brown and VanNatter:

We hope you and yours remain well as the Hoosier State continues to endure the various impacts of the pandemic.

As Ranking Minority Member of the Indiana House Employment, Labor and Pensions Committee and member of the Indiana House Ways and Means Committee, we are writing to urge you to use your leadership positions to serve our state's unemployed and employers. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on Indiana's physical and economic health, the need for strong Statehouse leadership could not be more urgent.

Due to partisan gridlock, Congress ultimately failed to extend emergency $600 weekly unemployment benefits relied on by many Hoosiers. On August 8, President Trump authorized a plan that reduced payments to 400,000 Hoosiers in need by an average of 46 percent. Indiana deserves better.

We have two simple requests:

• Use your leadership positions to advocate for the Hoosier State's laid-off workers and employers with our Congressional members. Urge Indiana's United States Congressional members to restore in its entirety the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) that expired on July 31. President Trump's memorandum to divert funds for the Federal Emergency Management Act (FEMA) for “lost wage assistance” is a convoluted and short-term proposal. FEMA does not have the funding to maintain the program beyond a few weeks. All of this is why Congress needs again pass a $600 per week unemployment benefit.

• Hold hearings in our state legislature pertaining to changes in unemployment due to COVID-19 pandemic. Indiana is facing two urgent crises around unemployment that cannot wait until the 2021 legislative session: 1.) the draining of our state's unemployment trust fund, and 2.) the lack of long-term coverage in Indiana's current unemployment insurance policies. The former needs to be solved to continue funding workers in need, and the latter must include a permanent policy that covers gig workers.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, legislators have fielded calls and emails from residents who are truly desperate for fair and sustainable solutions. They are right to expect such from their elected officials.

We thank you for your consideration, and we look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,

State Representative Lisa Beck
House District 19
State Representative Ed DeLaney
House District 86