Rhetoric

“[Sen. Jack] Reed said he had consulted with state officials to vet potential problems. ‘We have been talking to the state administrators, and they have not raised any significant issues,’ he said.”  
-CQ, March 19, 2014
 
Reality
 
“The requirements in S. 2148 would cause considerable delays in the implementation of the program and increased administrative issues and costs. Some states have indicated they might decide such changes are not feasible in the short time available, and therefore would consider not signing the U.S. Department of Labor’s agreement to operate the program. A majority of states have said implementing the proposed legislation could take from one to three months.”
 -Letter from NASWA to Senate Leaders, March 19, 2014
 
“The bill will likely cause implementation delays and increased administrative problems for state unemployment insurance programs if it bill [sic] becomes law.  On January 30th, NASWA sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) outlining the potential administrative problems that would come from requiring states to conduct income-based means testing for individuals, indicating these changes could take at least two to three months for states to implement. Further, the retroactive nature of the extension will be a huge administrative hurdle for most states and will likely result in delays.  Many states will require between one and three months to configure their antiquated computer systems to meet the requirements in S. 2148.  The legislation also creates an issue of verifying work-search requirements after-the-fact for individuals eligible for EUC after December 29, 2013 under S. 2148.”
-Review of S. 2148 on NASWA website, March 14, 2014
 
Note: According to the NASWA website, “The National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) was founded in the depths of the Great Depression, in the early years of unemployment insurance and employment service programs. It is an organization of state administrators of unemployment insurance laws, employment services, training programs, employment statistics and labor market information. Throughout its more than 75-year history, NASWA has strengthened the workforce system through information exchange, liaison, and advocacy.”

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