On the recordDecember 20, 2011
I thank the chairman for yielding. I rise in support of the House-passed provisions, specifically the provisions relating to unemployment insurance reform. We passed a full year, we extended the benefits, but we added commonsense reform, things like strengthening enforcement of waste, fraud, and abuse in unemployment benefits, strengthening work search and education requirements, and allowing States to test for drugs for those that are receiving benefits. It's very simple: If men and women that are working have to pass a drug test in order to draw their paycheck, those receiving unemployment benefits ought to have to pass the same drug test. So I call on Harry Reid to bring the Senate back to work so that we can reach a full year's agreement that includes these reforms to our unemployment insurance.
