Sponsored by:
Senator NICHOLAS P. SCUTARI
District 22 (Middlesex, Somerset and Union)
Senator FRED H. MADDEN, JR.
District 4 (Camden and Gloucester)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senators Ruiz, Cunningham, Sarlo, Pou, Gopal, Greenstein, Cruz-Perez, Stack, Turner, B.Smith, Cryan, Codey, Rice, Zwicker, Singleton, Vitale, Lagana, Diegnan, Gill, Johnson, Sacco, Beach, A.M.Bucco, Oroho, Schepisi, Testa, Holzapfel, Bramnick, Connors, Corrado, Doherty, Durr, O'Scanlon, Pennacchio, Singer, Stanfield, Thompson and Polistina
SYNOPSIS
Urges Governor to immediately address unemployment claim backlog and reopen State offices closed to public.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Senate Resolution urging the Governor to immediately address unemployment claim backlog and reopen all State offices closed to the public.
Whereas, Rising COVID-19 infections prompted Governor Murphy to declare a Statewide stay-at-home order on March 21, 2020 through Executive Order No. 107, which required all employers to either reduce staff on site to the minimum number necessary or utilize work-from-home arrangements if feasible; and
Whereas, Many State departments and agencies provide invaluable services to the residents of New Jersey, many of which are particularly important during a time of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and the quality of these services has decreased due to the restriction on employees working on-site; and
Whereas, The online unemployment filing system managed by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development is not equipped to handle the substantial number of unemployment claims filed during the COVID-19 pandemic and many individuals have encountered issues during the unemployment filing process that are still unresolved due to the restriction on in-person customer assistance; and
Whereas, The One-Stop Career Centers throughout the State managed by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development that provide employment assistance to many unemployed individuals have remain closed and the failure to reopen these centers may result in further economic harm to the unemployed individuals and, on a larger scale, the State of New Jersey; and
Whereas, Vaccination efforts and other public health measures have led to a low infection and hospitalization rate in the State of New Jersey; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House respectfully urges the Governor to take all measures necessary to immediately address the unemployment claim backlog and to immediately reopen all State offices which have been closed to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic.
2. The Department of Labor and Workforce Development is requested to provide to the Legislature, within 30 days of passage of this resolution, a report consisting of unemployment statistics including: the number people waiting for unemployment claims, the average length of time that it takes for unemployment claims to be completed, how much money has been paid out in unemployment claims, the number of employees currently working on unemployment claims, the average time each employee spends on each claim, and any other statistics deemed relevant by the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development.
3. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of the State of New Jersey.
STATEMENT
This Senate resolution urges the Governor to take all measures necessary to immediately address the unemployment claim backlog and to immediately reopen all State offices which have been closed to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic, and requests that a report of unemployment statistics be provided to the Legislature within 30 days of the passage of the resolution.