Sheheen to Introduce Plan to Restore Benefits
October 20, 2009
Sheheen to Introduce Plan to Restore Benefits
Camden, SC - Statement of Senator Vincent Sheheen, Democratic candidate for Governor, on Monday's announcement regarding a special session:
"Because it is so vital to the lives of everyday South Carolinians, I have drafted legislation restoring unemployment benefits and plan to introduce the bill on October 27th when the Legislature convenes. Having written the legislation that helped force Governor Sanford to stop playing political games and accept the federal stimulus money, this is an issue that is of extreme importance to me. That is why it was critical for the Legislature to return and deal with this issue."
"This legislation will ensure that South Carolina receives its fair share of federal unemployment funding retroactively to when it became available while not expending additional state tax dollars.
"For months, I have been saying that the circus-like atmosphere that has dominated politics in our state was distracting from the most important business at hand: getting South Carolina working again. The need for this special session is just one example of the crucially important items that did not get addressed in the last legislative session. Once we address this matter -- which will enable thousands of South Carolinians who have been victims of the economic crisis to receive an additional 20 weeks of unemployment benefits -- I believe we should take a further step.
"We need a special session to address the chronic job losses in our state. It's not enough to simply fix the unemployment program. We need to get South Carolina working again, and I can think of no better use of my time and my fellow legislators' time than convening without the day-to-day distractions of a regular session, and focusing solely on how to create jobs and get our unemployment rate -- the sixth-highest in the nation -- down again. We should review all job creating incentives to see where we are competitive with other states and where we are not. We should examine in depth our Commerce Department's activities and strategies to see why we are falling short in job creation.
"In addition, given that so many South Carolinians are struggling with unemployment and hardship, I will not accept any extra pay or expense reimbursement during the special session. I respectfully call on my colleagues in both the Senate and House to do the same."
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Sheheen to Introduce Plan to Restore Benefits
Camden, SC - Statement of Senator Vincent Sheheen, Democratic candidate for Governor, on Monday's announcement regarding a special session:
"Because it is so vital to the lives of everyday South Carolinians, I have drafted legislation restoring unemployment benefits and plan to introduce the bill on October 27th when the Legislature convenes. Having written the legislation that helped force Governor Sanford to stop playing political games and accept the federal stimulus money, this is an issue that is of extreme importance to me. That is why it was critical for the Legislature to return and deal with this issue."
"This legislation will ensure that South Carolina receives its fair share of federal unemployment funding retroactively to when it became available while not expending additional state tax dollars.
"For months, I have been saying that the circus-like atmosphere that has dominated politics in our state was distracting from the most important business at hand: getting South Carolina working again. The need for this special session is just one example of the crucially important items that did not get addressed in the last legislative session. Once we address this matter -- which will enable thousands of South Carolinians who have been victims of the economic crisis to receive an additional 20 weeks of unemployment benefits -- I believe we should take a further step.
"We need a special session to address the chronic job losses in our state. It's not enough to simply fix the unemployment program. We need to get South Carolina working again, and I can think of no better use of my time and my fellow legislators' time than convening without the day-to-day distractions of a regular session, and focusing solely on how to create jobs and get our unemployment rate -- the sixth-highest in the nation -- down again. We should review all job creating incentives to see where we are competitive with other states and where we are not. We should examine in depth our Commerce Department's activities and strategies to see why we are falling short in job creation.
"In addition, given that so many South Carolinians are struggling with unemployment and hardship, I will not accept any extra pay or expense reimbursement during the special session. I respectfully call on my colleagues in both the Senate and House to do the same."
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