‘Emergency preamble. Whereas, acts and resolves of the Legislature do not become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and
Whereas, the number of applications for training waivers to the Maine Unemployment Insurance Commission has increased dramatically in 2013 because the only path for many citizens to receive their unemployment benefits requires their participation in commission-approved training; and
Whereas, the commission does not possess adequate staff to efficiently process both the training waiver case load and its normal case load despite the use of mechanisms such as overtime; and
Whereas, training waiver cases are inherently time-sensitive because claimants rely upon their unemployment benefits to pay for necessities of daily living, such as food, medicine and shelter, and failure to quickly process training waiver cases can result in citizens' having inadequate funds for these critical items; and
Whereas, the backlog of training waiver cases has increased substantially since submission of this legislation; and
Whereas, if this legislation is not enacted as an emergency, the backlog of training waiver cases will increase and adversely affect even more unemployment claimants; and
Whereas, in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and require the following legislation as immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now, therefore,’