Florida Senate - 2011                                     SM 220
       
       
       
       By Senator Gaetz
       
       
       
       
       4-00271-11                                             2011220__
    1                           Senate Memorial                         
    2         A memorial to the Congress of the United States,
    3         urging Congress to enact a law providing unemployment
    4         assistance for individuals who become unemployed as a
    5         result of an oil spill.
    6  
    7         WHEREAS, there was an explosion at the Deepwater Horizon
    8  oil rig the night of April 20, 2010, and
    9         WHEREAS, the explosion caused hundreds of millions of
   10  gallons of oil to spill into the Gulf of Mexico and wash up on
   11  the coastlines of the five Gulf states, and
   12         WHEREAS, this man-made disaster has spoiled Florida’s
   13  coastline and waterways and devastated its fishing and tourism
   14  industries, and
   15         WHEREAS, this man-made disaster has directly resulted in
   16  the loss of jobs for Floridians, and
   17         WHEREAS, many of these individuals were self-employed or
   18  independent contractors, and as such do not qualify for
   19  unemployment compensation benefits, and
   20         WHEREAS, the federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance
   21  Program benefits individuals who become unemployed only as a
   22  direct result of a disaster declared by the President of the
   23  United States pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief
   24  and Emergency Act of 1974, and assistance paid under the act may
   25  be invoked only for natural disasters, NOW, THEREFORE,
   26  
   27  Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   28  
   29         That the Legislature requests the United States Congress to
   30  enact legislation that creates an Oil Spill Unemployment
   31  Assistance Program to provide income assistance to individuals
   32  who are unemployed as a result of a spill of national
   33  significance and who are not entitled to any other unemployment
   34  compensation, the cost of which shall be borne by responsible
   35  parties under the Oil Pollution Act.
   36         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
   37  dispatched to the President of the United States, to the
   38  President of the United States Senate, to the Speaker of the
   39  United States House of Representatives, and to each member of
   40  the Florida delegation to the United States Congress.