Senators Coons, Cassidy introduce bill to help unemployed workers access reemployment services more efficiently amid changing workforce landscape

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) today introduced the Expedited Access to Reemployment Learning Yields (EARLY) Benefits for Workers Act, which would allow unemployed workers faster access to reemployment services so they can more quickly find fulfilling new jobs. U.S. Senator Time Kaine (D-Va.) cosponsored the bill.

"As the economy changes, we need to make sure that more American workers are able to weather unemployment and emerge with the right job at the right time," said Senator Coons. "The EARLY Benefits for Workers Act is a commonsense solution that helps out-of-work Americans hit the ground running in their search for their next job and get faster access to tools that help them succeed."

Employers across many industries are facing serious labor shortages, and too many unemployed Americans are struggling to find suitable work. As artificial intelligence and other technologies change our economy, workers will face greater dislocation. Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) benefits - such as resume assistance, job search planning, and career workshops - are designed to help people get back to work faster. But under current law, states cannot offer RESEA services until after an unemployment insurance (UI) claim is approved. It typically takes weeks to process an initial unemployment claim after workers lose their jobs, meaning most workers do not receive help until they have already been out of work for some time. Today, more than one in three Americans exhaust their UI benefits before finding a new job, and research indicates that the longer a person is unemployed, the more difficult it becomes to reenter the workforce.

The EARLY Benefits for Workers Act would address these issues by allowing states to provide basic reemployment services as soon as a worker applies for unemployment benefits. This will help workers find jobs faster, shortening their unemployment and saving taxpayer dollars.

The EARLY Benefits for Workers Act is endorsed by the Niskanen Center and the National Employment Law Project.

"Currently, unemployed Americans often cannot access proven reemployment services through RESEA until after their unemployment insurance claims have been approved. This can result in weeks-long delays before they receive essential job search support. Thanks to Senators Coons and Cassidy's EARLY Benefits for Workers Act, laid-off workers could swiftly access these key services to help find good paying jobs," said Will Raderman, Employment Policy Analyst, Niskanen Center.

"NELP endorses the EARLY Benefits for Workers Act, as it will allow states to provide immediate reemployment support to workers claiming unemployment insurance benefits so that workers can find their next good, well-matched job," said Flannery O'Rourke, Unemployment Insurance Program Director at National Employment Law Project.

A one-pager is available here.

The full text of the legislation can be found here.