Unemployment Insurance Based on His Work in Stimulus Bill

Rep. Davis Celebrates over $6 million to Illinois to Improve Equitable Access to Unemployment Insurance Based on His Work in Stimulus Bill

Washington, D.C.- September 23, 2022, Danny K. Davis (D-IL), Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee Subcommittee on Worker and Family Support with jurisdiction over unemployment insurance, issued the following statement after the announcement by the Department of Labor that the state of Illinois will receive $6.84 million to promote equitable access to unemployment benefits. Chairman Davis worked to include the equity grants within the American Rescue Plan Act to improve delivery of unemployment insurance benefits and reduce disparities in access. In 2021, the Government Accountability Office issued a report demonstrating racial disparities in receipt of Pandemic Unemployment Insurance.

"I've been really concerned about racism and racial disparities in unemployment insurance for a long time," said Rep. Davis, Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee Subcommittee on Worker and Family Support. "The recent GAO report clearly demonstrates that white workers who apply for unemployment insurance benefits are more likely to receive them than Black workers, and this is wholly unacceptable. To directly address the problem of workers not receiving their unemployment benefits, I helped include $2 billion for the Department of Labor that included equity grants to improve delivery of unemployment benefits. I am so proud that Illinois will receive $6.84 million to remove obstacles to unemployment insurance so that workers of various ages, races, ethnicities, languages, ability, and geographic areas can receive these crucial benefits that help when they lose their jobs. So far, 28 states and the District of Columbia have received more than $150 million with another $110 million to increase equitable access to unemployment benefits."