Baldwin, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Provide Unemployment Assistance to Those Affected By Coronavirus

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to the coronavirus pandemic, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin cosponsored legislation to provide federally-funded unemployment assistance to affected individuals. The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Act would create a temporary unemployment compensation program to provide benefits to individuals who are unable to work because of the coronavirus.

“We have to work together across party lines to expand unemployment benefits for workers and families that will help them get through this crisis,” said Senator Baldwin. “As the coronavirus continues to spread in Wisconsin and throughout the country, I’m working to make sure that workers don’t lose pay when they lose their job through no fault of their own during this crisis.”

Modeled on the Disaster Unemployment Assistance program, this new program would be tailored to help those affected by the pandemic. While Congress has provided temporary unemployment benefits in response to disasters, it has not previously provided benefits in response to a public health crisis.

The program will be particularly helpful for those without paid sick leave, and it will cover self-employed workers and workers without sufficient work history to qualify for regular unemployment insurance.

Workers who would qualify for assistance under the program include:

• Individuals who are sick or who have been exposed to the coronavirus
• Individuals who must care for someone who is sick with the coronavirus
• Individuals who cannot reach their place of work because of a quarantine
• Individuals who need to self-quarantine to protect themselves from the coronavirus
• Individuals who must care for a child because of a school closure
• Individuals who are working reduced hours due to the coronavirus. (Individuals who have been laid off are covered by traditional unemployment assistance. While individuals who have had their hours cut by their employer generally qualify for traditional unemployment assistance, this proposal would ensure workers do not fall through the cracks if they are working reduced hours.)

Benefits and administrative costs associated with this program would be federally funded through the federal unemployment insurance trust funds. The program would be administered by state unemployment offices, and would end six months after the end of the pandemic.

The bill, led by Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Chuck Schumer (D-NY), was also cosponsored by Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Patty Murray (D-WA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Ed Markey (D-MA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Jon Tester (D-MT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Bob Casey (D-PA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).