Bill Archer: “the Committee on Ways and Means has a strong historical interest and involvement in the financing of the railroad…”

“the Committee on Ways and Means has a strong historical interest and involvement in the financing of the railroad unemployment compensation [RRUC] system. The RRUC has been in existence since 1938. Railroad workers were initially covered by the unemployment provisions of the Social Security Act of 1935, until the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (Public Law 75-722) was passed in 1938 to provide a uniform unemployment insurance system for railroad workers. The committee has been closely involved in recent legislation concerning the RRUC. The Technical and Miscellaneous Revenue Act of 1988 (Public Law 100-647) increased the railroad unemployment and sickness daily benefit rate, indexed future benefit rates, qualifying earnings requirements and the contribution base to national wage levels, established a waiting period for benefits, and included other measures to improve the railroad unemployment insurance system's financing. The Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act of 1991, as amended in November 1993 (Public Laws 102-164 and 103-152), provided temporary extended State unemployment benefits, and also provided temporary extended benefits under the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act. The railroad unemployment and sickness benefit programs are financed by payroll taxes on railroad employers. The Railroad Unemployment Insurance and Railroad Unemployment Insurance Administration Accounts are part of the Federal Unemployment Trust Fund.”