Bill Text: MS HB1405 | 2026 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Unemployment benefits; align duration with statewide unemployment rate.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)
Status: (Failed) 2026-02-03 - Died In Committee [HB1405 Detail]
Download: Mississippi-2026-HB1405-Introduced.html
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2026 Regular Session
To: Workforce Development; Appropriations A
By: Representative Burch
House Bill 1405
AN ACT TO MAKE CERTAIN LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS RELATING TO MISSISSIPPI'S UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE PROGRAM AND BENEFIT DURATION; TO AMEND SECTION 71-5-507, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REVISE THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF WEEKLY UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS AN INDIVIDUAL MAY RECEIVE BY ALIGNING THE DURATION WITH THE STATEWIDE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE; TO UTILIZE THE AVERAGE, SEASONALLY ADJUSTED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR THE STATE FOR THE THREE MONTHS PRECEDING THE MONTH OF AN INDIVIDUAL'S FIRST CLAIM TO DETERMINE THE INDIVIDUAL'S MAXIMUM NUMBER OF WEEKLY BENEFITS AVAILABLE; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:
SECTION 1. (1) The Legislature finds and declares the following:
(a) A strong labor force participation rate is essential to the economic growth, stability and competitiveness of the State of Mississippi.
(b) Employers across Mississippi experience varying workforce needs depending upon economic conditions, including periods in which job opportunities are readily available.
(c) Mississippi's unemployment insurance system should be responsive to changing labor market conditions in order to both support individuals who are temporarily unemployed and encourage timely reentry into the workforce when employment opportunities exist.
(d) Aligning the duration of unemployment benefits with the statewide unemployment rate promotes workforce engagement while preserving a meaningful safety net during periods of higher unemployment.
(2) It is the intent of the Legislature to modernize Mississippi's unemployment insurance program by linking benefit duration to objective, publicly reported economic data, thereby incentivizing employment, supporting workers during economic downturns, and ensuring responsible stewardship of unemployment insurance resources.
SECTION 2. Section 71-5-507, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
71-5-507. * * * (1)
The maximum number of weekly benefits a claimant may be eligible for in a
benefit year is determined using the average, seasonally adjusted unemployment
rate for the state for the three (3) months preceding the month in which the
claimant files the first claim of a benefit year. The following defines the
maximum number of weekly benefits available based upon the average statewide
unemployment rate, as determined by the department in accordance with
subsection (2) of this section:
(a) When the average unemployment rate is five percent (5%) or less, twelve (12) times the weekly benefit amount.
(b) When the average unemployment rate is more than five percent (5%) but not more than seven percent (7%), sixteen (16) times the weekly benefit amount.
(c) When the average unemployment rate is more than seven percent (7%) but not more than ten percent (10%), twenty (20) times the weekly benefit amount.
(d) When the average unemployment rate is more than ten percent (10%), twenty-six (26) times the weekly benefit amount.
(2) In calculating the average unemployment rate for the purpose of determining benefit duration under subsection (1) of this section, the department shall use publicly reported, seasonally adjusted unemployment rate figures for the state. On a monthly basis, the department shall publish on its website the applicable average unemployment rate and the maximum number of weekly benefits available for claimants who file an initial claim for unemployment benefits in that month.
(3) An individual's total amount of regular benefits, as determined at the beginning of the individual's benefit year, constitutes the total amount of regular benefits available to the individual throughout that benefit year.
SECTION 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2026.
