Legislative Democrats are urging Gov. Charlie Crist to bypass lawmakers and take action on his own to make nearly a quarter million unemployed Floridians eligible for extended federal benefits that may become available with a vote in Congress this week.
A months-long stalemate was broken in Washington this week with the appointment of Sen. Carte Goodwin, D-W. Va., to replace the late Robert C. Byrd, allowing Democrats to break a filibuster over plans to restore emergency jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed. The appointment nearly ensured passage of the bill, which is now expected to be approved by the House and signed by President Obama.
Last month, 11.4 percent of the workforce was unemployed in Florida. Many of those people will benefit from Congress extending benefits by up to 53 weeks once Obama signs the bill.
But some unemployed, including about 250,000 people in Florida, have been unemployed so long and exhausted so much in benefits that they wouldn’t qualify for that help. Congress is, however, also making up to 20 additional weeks of benefits available for those long-term jobless.
However, Florida law had a deadline of June 5 for paying extra benefits under that program.
Without removing the June 5 deadline from the statutes, the state’s workforce agency is unable to pay extended benefits to those 250,000 people.
If Crist moves to accept the money and pay the extended benefits to the longest-out-of-work Floridians, the entire cost would be picked up by the federal government.
The Florida Legislature refused to remove the deadline during the regular legislative session in the spring, and again declined to take up the issue during the one-day special session that began and ended Tuesday.
State Sen. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, and Rep. Kevin Rader, D-Delray Beach, this week asked Crist to sidestep the Legislature and issue an executive order that would allow the state to take the money and issue benefits.
“The governor needs to stand up when the people’s representatives fail to meet their obligations to those they represent,” Gelber said. “On behalf of the voiceless, the hard working people of this state who are about to be cut off from benefits which they have rightfully earned and to which they are rightfully entitled, I urge the governor to act in all due haste.”
Rader sent a letter to Crist on Wednesday urging him to either issue the executive order, or call lawmakers back to Tallahassee again to make the change.
“This could have been avoided,” Rader wrote to Crist. “Two months ago, I warned of this very situation. But my amendment during session was denied, and my bill during special session was not heard. Now is our last chance to avert a devastating economic blow to the citizens of Florida.”
Crist spokesman Sterling Ivey said the governor had received the Democrats’ requests and was “looking at the implications” of the federal legislation.
“Specifically, if the governor has the authority to issue an executive order, or if legislative change is necessary,” Ivey said. “Once the bill passes Congress … we will be in a better position to discuss our next steps.”
Crist, an independent who left the Republican Party earlier this year to make a run for the U.S. Senate, has lately been more in line with Democrats than his old GOP colleagues. He vetoed several Republican priorities in the spring legislative session and aligned with Democrats this week in calling on lawmakers to put a constitutional ban on oil drilling, which the GOP-led Legislature declined to do.
With the November elections looming, extending jobless benefits has gotten embroiled in Washington by partisan bickering about the deficit. Republicans there have refused to support extending benefits without Democrats earmarking money to pay for it with unspent stimulus money. The federal debt is more than $13 trillion. Nationally, the unemployment rate is at 9.5 percent.
By David Royse
The News Service of Florida
