Bill Text: IA SF617 | 2021-2022 | 89th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A bill for an act concerning unemployment insurance and including effective date and applicability provisions.(Formerly SSB 1273.)
Spectrum: Committee Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-19 - Subcommittee: Dawson, Goodwin, and T. Taylor. S.J. 120. [SF617 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2021-SF617-Introduced.html
Senate
File
617
-
Introduced
SENATE
FILE
617
BY
COMMITTEE
ON
WAYS
AND
MEANS
(SUCCESSOR
TO
SSB
1273)
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
concerning
unemployment
insurance
and
including
1
effective
date
and
applicability
provisions.
2
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
3
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Section
1.
Section
96.1A,
Code
2021,
is
amended
by
adding
1
the
following
new
subsections:
2
NEW
SUBSECTION
.
01.
“Able
to
work”
means
the
individual
is
3
physically
and
mentally
able
to
perform
work.
4
NEW
SUBSECTION
.
1A.
“Available
for
work”
means
the
5
individual
is
ready
and
willing
to
accept
suitable
work.
6
NEW
SUBSECTION
.
32A.
“Severance
pay”
means
any
payment
7
in
connection
with
separation
from
employment
that
is
not
8
conditioned
on
the
individual
giving
up
any
legal
right
or
the
9
release
of
any
rights.
10
Sec.
2.
Section
96.3,
subsection
5,
paragraph
a,
Code
2021,
11
is
amended
to
read
as
follows:
12
a.
Duration
of
benefits.
The
maximum
total
amount
of
13
benefits
payable
to
an
eligible
individual
during
a
benefit
14
year
shall
not
exceed
the
total
of
the
wage
credits
accrued
15
to
the
individual’s
account
during
the
individual’s
base
16
period,
or
twenty-six
times
the
individual’s
weekly
benefit
17
amount,
whichever
is
the
lesser.
The
director
shall
maintain
18
a
separate
account
for
each
individual
who
earns
wages
in
19
insured
work.
The
director
shall
compute
wage
credits
for
20
each
individual
by
crediting
the
individual’s
account
with
21
one-third
of
the
wages
for
insured
work
paid
to
the
individual
22
during
the
individual’s
base
period.
However,
the
director
23
shall
recompute
wage
credits
for
an
individual
who
is
laid
24
off
due
to
the
individual’s
employer
going
out
of
business
at
25
the
factory,
establishment,
or
other
premises
at
which
the
26
individual
was
last
employed,
by
crediting
the
individual’s
27
account
with
one-half,
instead
of
one-third,
of
the
wages
for
28
insured
work
paid
to
the
individual
during
the
individual’s
29
base
period.
Benefits
paid
to
an
eligible
individual
shall
30
be
charged
against
the
base
period
wage
credits
in
the
31
individual’s
account
which
have
not
been
previously
charged,
32
in
the
inverse
chronological
order
as
the
wages
on
which
the
33
wage
credits
are
based
were
paid.
However
if
the
state
“off”
34
indicator
is
in
effect
and
if
the
individual
is
laid
off
due
to
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the
individual’s
employer
going
out
of
business
at
the
factory,
1
establishment,
or
other
premises
at
which
the
individual
was
2
last
employed,
the
maximum
benefits
payable
shall
be
extended
3
to
thirty-nine
times
the
individual’s
weekly
benefit
amount,
4
but
not
to
exceed
the
total
of
the
wage
credits
accrued
to
the
5
individual’s
account.
6
Sec.
3.
Section
96.4,
subsection
3,
Code
2021,
is
amended
7
to
read
as
follows:
8
3.
a.
The
individual
is
able
to
work,
is
available
for
9
work,
and
is
earnestly
and
actively
seeking
work.
This
10
subsection
is
waived
if
the
individual
is
deemed
partially
11
unemployed,
while
employed
at
the
individual’s
regular
job,
12
as
defined
in
section
96.1A,
subsection
37
,
paragraph
“b”
,
13
subparagraph
(1),
or
temporarily
unemployed
as
defined
in
14
section
96.1A,
subsection
37
,
paragraph
“c”
.
The
work
search
15
requirements
of
this
subsection
and
the
disqualification
16
requirement
for
failure
to
apply
for,
or
to
accept
suitable
17
work
of
section
96.5,
subsection
3
,
are
waived
if
the
18
individual
is
not
disqualified
for
benefits
under
section
96.5,
19
subsection
1
,
paragraph
“h”
.
20
b.
Notwithstanding
any
provision
of
this
chapter
to
the
21
contrary,
the
department
may
establish
by
rule
a
process
to
22
waive
or
alter
the
work
search
requirements
of
this
subsection
23
for
a
claim
for
benefits
if
an
individual
has
a
reasonable
24
expectation
that
the
individual
will
be
returning
to
employment
25
and
is
attached
to
a
regular
job
or
industry
or
a
member
in
26
good
standing
of
a
union
therein
eligible
for
referral
for
27
employment.
To
be
considered
attached
to
a
regular
job
or
28
industry,
an
individual
must
be
on
a
short-term
temporary
29
layoff.
If
work
is
not
available
at
the
conclusion
of
the
30
layoff
period
due
to
short-term
circumstances
beyond
the
31
employer’s
control,
the
employer
may
request
an
extension
32
of
the
waiver
or
alteration
for
up
to
two
weeks
from
the
33
department.
For
purposes
of
this
paragraph,
“short-term
34
temporary
layoff”
means
a
layoff
period
of
sixteen
weeks
or
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less
due
to
seasonal
weather
conditions
that
impact
the
ability
1
to
perform
work
related
to
highway
construction,
repair,
or
2
maintenance
with
a
specific
return-to-work
date
verified
by
the
3
employer.
4
Sec.
4.
Section
96.4,
Code
2021,
is
amended
by
adding
the
5
following
new
subsection:
6
NEW
SUBSECTION
.
8.
The
individual
has
satisfied
a
single
7
one-week
waiting
period
during
the
individual’s
benefit
year.
8
To
satisfy
the
one-week
waiting
period,
the
individual,
with
9
respect
to
the
week
in
question,
must
be
eligible
for
benefits
10
from
this
state,
but
must
not
have
received
benefits
from
this
11
state,
and
must
not
be
eligible
for
benefits
from
another
12
state.
13
Sec.
5.
EFFECTIVE
DATE.
14
1.
Except
as
otherwise
provided
in
this
section,
this
Act
15
takes
effect
July
1,
2022.
16
2.
The
section
of
this
Act
amending
section
96.4,
subsection
17
3,
being
deemed
of
immediate
importance,
takes
effect
upon
18
enactment.
19
Sec.
6.
APPLICABILITY.
20
1.
Except
as
otherwise
provided
in
this
section,
this
Act
21
applies
to
any
week
of
unemployment
benefits
beginning
on
or
22
after
July
3,
2022.
23
2.
The
section
of
this
Act
amending
section
96.4,
subsection
24
3,
applies
to
any
new
claim
of
unemployment
benefits
beginning
25
on
or
after
the
first
Sunday
after
the
effective
date
of
that
26
section.
27
3.
The
section
of
this
Act
enacting
section
96.4,
subsection
28
8,
applies
to
any
new
claim
of
unemployment
benefits
beginning
29
on
or
after
July
3,
2022.
30
EXPLANATION
31
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
32
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
33
This
bill
concerns
unemployment
insurance
under
Code
chapter
34
96.
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The
bill
defines
“able
to
work”,
for
purposes
of
1
unemployment
benefits,
to
mean
the
individual
is
physically
and
2
mentally
able
to
perform
work.
The
bill
defines
“available
3
for
work”,
for
purposes
of
unemployment
benefits,
to
mean
the
4
individual
is
ready
and
willing
to
accept
suitable
work.
5
The
bill
defines
“severance
pay”,
for
purposes
of
Code
6
chapter
96,
as
any
payment
in
connection
with
separation
from
7
employment
that
is
not
conditioned
on
the
individual
giving
up
8
any
legal
right
or
the
release
of
any
rights.
9
The
bill
strikes
language
requiring
the
director
of
the
10
department
of
workforce
development
to
recompute
wage
credits
11
for
purposes
of
calculating
an
individual’s
maximum
total
12
amount
of
unemployment
benefits
payable
during
a
benefit
year.
13
The
stricken
language
applied
to
an
individual
who
is
laid
14
off
due
to
the
individual’s
employer
going
out
of
business
at
15
the
factory,
establishment,
or
other
premises
at
which
the
16
individual
was
last
employed
by
crediting
the
individual’s
17
account
with
one-half,
instead
of
one-third,
of
the
wages
for
18
insured
work
paid
to
the
individual
during
the
individual’s
19
base
period.
The
bill
also
strikes
language
providing
an
20
additional
13
weeks
of
benefits
to
such
individuals
if
the
21
state
“off”
indicator,
which
relates
to
the
rate
of
insured
22
unemployment
in
the
state,
is
in
effect.
23
The
bill
authorizes
the
department
of
workforce
development
24
to
establish
by
rule
a
process
to
waive
or
alter
the
work
25
search
requirements
for
a
claim
for
unemployment
benefits
if
26
an
individual
has
a
reasonable
expectation
that
the
individual
27
will
be
returning
to
employment
and
is
attached
to
a
regular
28
job
or
industry
or
a
member
in
good
standing
of
a
union
therein
29
eligible
for
referral
for
employment.
To
be
considered
30
attached
to
a
regular
job
or
industry,
an
individual
must
be
31
on
a
short-term
temporary
layoff,
as
defined
in
the
bill.
The
32
bill
authorizes
an
employer
to
request
an
extension
of
the
33
waiver
or
alteration
as
specified
in
the
bill.
34
The
bill
provides
that
in
order
to
be
eligible
for
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unemployment
benefits,
an
individual
must
satisfy
a
single
1
one-week
waiting
period
during
the
individual’s
benefit
year.
2
To
satisfy
the
one-week
waiting
period,
the
individual,
with
3
respect
to
the
week
in
question,
must
be
eligible
for
benefits
4
from
this
state,
but
must
not
have
received
benefits
from
this
5
state,
and
must
not
be
eligible
for
benefits
from
another
6
state.
7
The
provision
of
the
bill
providing
for
a
process
to
waive
or
8
alter
the
work
search
requirements
for
a
claim
for
unemployment
9
benefits
takes
effect
upon
enactment.
The
remainder
of
the
10
bill
takes
effect
July
1,
2022.
11
The
provision
of
the
bill
providing
for
a
process
to
waive
or
12
alter
the
work
search
requirements
for
a
claim
for
unemployment
13
benefits
applies
to
any
new
claim
of
unemployment
benefits
14
beginning
on
or
after
the
first
Sunday
after
the
effective
15
date
of
that
provision.
The
provision
of
the
bill
providing
16
for
a
one-week
waiting
period
in
order
to
be
eligible
for
17
unemployment
benefits
applies
to
any
new
claim
of
unemployment
18
benefits
beginning
on
or
after
July
3,
2022.
The
remainder
of
19
the
bill
applies
to
any
week
of
unemployment
benefits
beginning
20
on
or
after
July
3,
2022.
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