[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 131 (Thursday, July 9, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 37145]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-18225]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration
Dialogue on Unemployment Insurance Reform; Notice of Public
Meetings
When President Clinton signed his 1999 budget proposals, he set in
motion a reform of the Unemployment Insurance (UI) program. On March
13, 1998, Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman announced a ``Dialogue'' to
examine the UI program and the related Employment Service IES) program
in light of a changing economy. The framework for the ``Dialogue'' was
set forth in the Dialogue Paper which as been mailed to stakeholders
and other interested parties. This paper can also be found on the
Internet at www.dol.gov. The ``Dialogue'' will allow interested parties
to comment on a broad array of questions about the programs'
effectiveness and will take place over the next year through several
venues and forums, i.e., stakeholders meetings, public meetings. Major
``Dialogue'' issues for discussion include:
Individual Economic Adjustment: How well does the UI program help
individuals unemployment workers by providing adequate financial
resources and promoting transition to employment? Who should receive
benefits; what kinds of reemployment services should he provided and
how could these reemployment services be made more effective?
Macroeconomic Stabilizer: How well does the UI program serve as a
counter-cyclical macroeconomic stabilizer--does it serve to stabilize
the economy locally, regionally, nationally? How could the program's
performance be improved?
Insurance Concepts: How well does the UI program operate in terms
of core insurance principles of forward funding, risk pooling, and
solvency? How well does the program accumulate resources for payment
during periods of economic downturn? How well does the program operate
in terms of pooling risks for employers and States? What are the
consequences of diverging from these insurance principles?
Financing Benefits: How should the UI benefit financing structure
work to assure efficiency, equity and incentives? To what extent should
employer tax rates be based on experience with unemployment? How could
employer reporting and record keeping be streamlined?
Financing Administration: How should the administration of the UI
and ES programs be financed? How well does the administrative financing
system respond to workload changes over the business cycle? How should
the administrative financing system encourage efficient and cost-
effective operations?
Federal-State System: How should the Federal-State partnership work
to assure a basic national UI program that reflects differences among
the States? How can the partnership be improved? Are any changes needed
in the division of responsibilities, such as financing, benefit
structures, or oversight? What should be the relationship between UI
and ES? What form should ES take in the future?
Time and Place: Two meetings will be held, the first on August 4,
1998 in Seattle, Washington and the second on August 11, 1998 in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Seattle meeting will be held at the
Seattle Airport Doubletree Hotel, 18740 Pacific Highway South, from 10
a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The Philadelphia meeting will be held at the
Philadelphia Airport Marriott Hotel, Arrivals Road, from 11:30 a.m. to
5:00 p.m. More meetings will be held.
Agenda: Agenda topics include the following:
(a) Opening remarks--purpose/overview of meeting, introduction of
discussion leaders
(b) Description of Dialogue Issues
(c) Oral Testimony
(d) Open discussion of Dialogue Issues
(e) Closing remarks
Public Participation: The meeting will be open to the public.
Seating will be available to the public on a first-come, first-served
basis. Seats will be reserved for the media. Individuals with
disabilities should contact the Regional Coordinators, listed below, if
special accommodations are needed. Individuals or organizations wishing
to present oral testimony should contact the Regional Coordinator, and
those wishing to submit written statements should send five (5) copies
to the Regional Coordinator.
For Additional Information Contact: Seattle Coordinators--Larry
Heasty and Bill James (206 553-7700), U.S. Department of Labor/ETA,
1111 Third Ave., Suite 900, Seattle WA 98101-3213. Philadelphia
Coordinators--Leo Bull (215 596--0778), Rosemary Williams--Raysor (215
596-1411), and April Hunt (215 596-0789), U.S. Department of Labor/ETA,
P.O. Box 8796, Philadelphia, PA 19101
Signed at Washington, D.C. this 30th day of June 1998.
Raymond J. Uhalde,
Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor.
[FR Doc. 98-18225 Filed 7-8-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-30-M
