[Federal Register: July 9, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 131)]
[Notices]               
[Page 37145]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr09jy98-125]

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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