2005 Unemployment Insurance Bills

(Miscellaneous/Workforce)

California
SB 505
Requires the Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board to consist of 7 members and that the membership of the board will include 2 attorneys admitted to practice in the State of California.
To Senate Committee On Rules, 3/3/05

Connecticut
HB 5396

Concerns unemployment compensation hearings; limits the inconvenience to employers appearing at cancelled unemployment compensation hearings.

Failed Joint Favorable Deadline, 3/29/05

Florida
SB 1092

Requires Workforce Innovation Agency to contract with consumer-reporting agencies to provide creditors and employers with secured electronic access to information regarding unemployment compensation records.

Withdrawn Prior To Introduction, 3/2/05

Idaho
HB 64

Appropriates funds to the Department of Commerce and Labor for computer enhancements that will improve the administration of the Unemployment Insurance Program.

Chaptered. Chapter No. 175, 3/28/05

SB 1222

Appropriates approximately $700 million to the Public Schools Division of Teachers for fiscal year 2006 including funds for unemployment insurance.

Chaptered. Chapter No. 256, 4/5/05

Illinois
SB 1770

Abolishes the Employment Security Administrative Fund.

To Governor, 6/22/05

SB 1771

Abolishes the State Employees' Unemployment Benefit Fund.

To Governor, 6/22/05

Iowa
HB 706

Relates to access to dependent adult abuse information and unemployment compensation claims.

Withdrawn From Further Consideration, 4/14/05

HB 818

Relates to eligibility requirements for qualification for unemployment compensation benefits.

To House Committee On Commerce, Regulation And Labor, 3/22/05

SB 335

Relates to access to dependent adult abuse information and unemployment compensation claims by a court or administrative agency.

Signed By Governor, 4/22/05

H.SB 133
and
S.SB 1117

Requires a waiting period prior to eligibility for unemployment benefits.

In House Committee On Commerce And Regulation, 2/7/05

H.SB 231
and
S.SB 1051

Relates to access to dependent adult abuse information and unemployment compensation claims.

In House. Becomes House File 706, 3/11/05

S.SB 1115

Eliminates additional unemployment benefit wage credits in cases of plant closings.

In Senate Committee On Business And Labor, 3/7/05

Maine
HB 974

Requires that the Maine Unemployment Insurance Commission maintain its principal office in the Augusta area.

Senate Adopts Majority Committee Report: Ought Not To Pass, 5/3/05

L.R. 804

Abolishes the Maine Unemployment Insurance Commission.

Introduced, 1/3/05

Massachusetts
HB 3120

Relates to unemployment insurance fraud.

In Joint Committee On Labor And Workforce Development: Heard. Eligible For Executive Session, 6/22/05

HB 3770

Requires that notices and forms of the Division of Unemployment Insurance be sent by regular mail and e-mail.

In Joint Committee On Labor And Workforce Development: Heard. Eligible For Executive Session, 6/22/05

Michigan
HB 4175

Revises the designation of Unemployment Insurance Agency.

To House Committee On Employment Relations, Training And Safety, 2/2/05

HB 4176

Renames the Bureau of Worker's and Unemployment Compensation to Unemployment Insurance Agency.

To House Committee On Employment Relations, Training And Safety, 2/2/05

Minnesota
HB 1067
and
SB 1093

Modifies filing requirements for wage detail reports.

To House Committee On Commerce And Financial Institutions, 2/16/05

Mississippi HCR 92

Suspend deadlines for introduction; unemployment compensation; increase benefits, delete waiting period, reduce employer tax rates, provide workforce training.

Died In Committee, 4/7/05

New Jersey
AB 3658

Bases certain Unemployment Insurance surcharges on total wages paid and allows all employers option of treating surcharge for Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund as payroll deduction.

To Assembly Committee On Labor, 1/10/05

SB 597

Makes permanent that Unemployment Insurance benefit weeks equal base weeks up to 26 weeks

Withdrawn From Further Consideration, 1/24/05

SB 749

Establishes Unemployment Compensation Direct Deposit Program.

Withdrawn From Further Consideration, 2/14/05

SB 1887

Exempts certain services performed for unions from Unemployment Insurance coverage.

Withdrawn From Further Consideration, 1/24/05

New Mexico
HB 858

Creates unemployment insurance task force.

Pocket Veto By Governor, 4/8/05

SB 846

Relates to unemployment insurance task force.

From House Committee On Labor And Human Resources: Do Pass, 3/15/05

New York
AB 1200

Requires the Department of Labor to develop advocacy assistance programs for representation and consultation regarding unemployment insurance application, eligibility, benefits, hearings and appeals.

From Assembly Committee On Rules, 6/6/05

AB 1736
and
SB 3359

Establishes procedures to provide information on the Child Health Insurance Plan to a person filing for unemployment insurance.

Substituted For S 3359, 4/6/05

AB 4512

Enacts the New York State Unemployment Insurance Fund Solvency Act to provide for the needs of the fund in the wake of the 9/11/01 terrorist attacks.

To Assembly Committee On Labor, 2/10/05

North Dakota
SB 2374

Provides for an unemployment compensation shared work demonstration project; provides for a legislative council study.

Failed To Pass House, 3/24/05

Ohio
SB 81

Establishes a state disaster unemployment benefit payment to pay the first week of an individual's unemployment caused by a major disaster.

Session Law No. 20, June 2, 2005;

Pennsylvania
HB 808

Requires a study to make recommendations for redesigning the contribution rate notice form and related documents.

To House Committee On Labor Relations, 3/14/05

South Carolina
HB 3500

Provides a procedure for requiring compliance of a subcontractor regarding state unemployment insurance liability.

To House Committee On Labor, Commerce And Industry, 2/9/05

HB 3660

Provides an alternative base period for certain claimants of benefits under the Employment Security Law; provides that, when certain information is not available, the commission may base the determination for eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits on the affidavit of a claimant.

To House Committee On Labor, Commerce And Industry, 3/1/05

HB 4079

Authorizes the Midlands Workforce Development Board, Upstate Workforce Investment Board, and Trident Workforce Investment Board to expend funds available to the state for the purpose of employer services and renovating and equipping high-tech one stop administrative operations.

To House Committee On Ways And Means, 5/11/05

South Dakota
HB 1126

Removes certain restrictions that apply to the unexpended balances of the unemployment insurance compensation fund established by political subdivisions.

Session Law. Chapter No. 282, 5/17/05

Texas
SB 1230

Relates to the authority of the state to fund the operations of the unemployment compensation system.

To House Committee On Economic Development, 5/2/05

Virginia
SB 1283

Relating to unemployment compensation reports.

Stricken From Docket, 2/7/05

Washington
SB 5310

Prohibits surveys of unemployment insurance claimants.

Referred To Senate Committee On Rules, 4/1/05

Wyoming
SB 97

Relates to unemployment compensation; authorizes the Department of Employment to reduce penalties on employers following cure of a delinquent account

Chapter No. 72, 2/18/05

Workforce/Training

California
AB 793
Requires the Employment Development Department to develop and administer an unemployment insurance coverage amnesty program for a three month period.
In Assembly Committee On Insurance: Reconsideration Granted, 4/20/05

AB 1486
Requires a leasing employer or temporary services employer, when reporting unemployment insurance for workers employed to provide services to a customer or client, to identify itself as a temporary services employer or leasing employer.
In Assembly Committee On Insurance: Not Heard, 5/4/05

AB 1577

Repeals the provisions requiring the Employment Development Department's

offices within a common labor-market area to share job listing information and display specified signs.

From Senate Committee On Labor And Industrial Relations: Do Pass To Committee On Appropriations, 6/22/05

Florida
HB 1645

Establishes a separate budget for the Agency for Workforce Innovation. Requires the Agency to administer unemployment compensation funding. Designates the Agency as the administrative agency for receipt of unemployment compensation grants.

In House: Laid On Table, 5/4/05

Hawaii
HB 704
and
SB 813

Appropriates $ 20 million in Reed Act funds for services of the unemployment insurance and workforce development divisions.

To Conference Committee, 4/18/05

HB 751

Encourages eligible claimants of unemployment insurance to seek gainful employment by permitting claimants to receive their weekly benefit amount and be employed in a part-time job that pays less than their weekly benefit amount.

To House Committee On Labor And Public Employment, 1/31/05

SB 1271

Requires the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii to contribute to the state's cost of providing unemployment compensation benefits to the emergency environmental workforce.

Additionally Referred To Senate Committee On Higher Education, 2/1/05

Illinois
HB 860

Amends the Unemployment Insurance Act. Provides that the Department of Employment Security may contract with consumer reporting agencies to provide secure electronic access to information provided to the Department by employing units. Requires the user of the information to obtain a written consent form from the individual to whom the wage report information pertains prior to obtaining the report.

Tabled By Sponsor, 3/15/05

Kentucky
SB 203

Authorizes the unemployment insurance program to contract with consumer reporting agencies to provide secure electronic access to wage and employment data of employees.

To Senate Committee On Banking And Insurance, 2/15/05

Maryland
HB 102

Defines the term "training" in connection with the prohibition against the denial of unemployment insurance benefits to specified individuals.

To House Committee On Economic Matters, 1/17/05

Massachusetts
SB 1118

S.D. 814- Promotes fairness in unemployment insurance for workers seeking part-time work Labor and Workforce Development.

In Joint Committee On Labor And Workforce Development: Heard. Eligible For Executive Session, 6/22/05

Minnesota
HB 1220

Authorizes the use of certain data by local and state welfare agencies.

Rereferred To House Committee On Jobs And Economic Opportunity Policy And Finance, 4/7/05

Mississippi
HB 965

Reduces rates for certain employers and imposes workforce training assessment (MDES).

Died In Committee, 2/1/05

SB 2480

Provides for a reduction in the unemployment compensation contribution rate for certain employers; provides for a workforce training enhancement contribution for certain employers subject to the Unemployment Compensation Law.

Signed By Governor, 3/23/05

Nevada
AB 502

Makes various changes to provisions governing unemployment compensation; requires the Administrator of the Employment Security Division of the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation to adopt certain regulations relating to unemployment insurance contributions.

Chaptered. Chapter No. 129, 5/19/05

SB 111

Revises requirements for submission to Employment Security Division of Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation evidence related to claims for unemployment compensation. Requires certain information to be included in the notice given to employers when a former employee files a claim for unemployment compensation.

Chaptered. Chapter No. 72, 5/10/05

North Dakota
HB 1160

Relates to the reimbursement by reorganized and dissolving school districts of unemployment compensation benefits paid by Job Service North Dakota.

Signed By Governor, 3/4/05

Oregon
HB 2818

Requires Employment Department to refer unemployment insurance recipient who is spouse or dependent of individual deployed on active military duty to JOBS Plus Program job before referring other unemployment insurance recipients to program job.

To House Committee On Veterans Affairs, 3/10/05

HB 3462

Extends JOBS Plus Program by diverting unemployment insurance taxes to Oregon JOBS Plus Unemployment Wage Fund for calendar years 2006 through 2012.

To House Committee On Budget, 6/10/05

Texas
HB 2273

Relates to the administration of the unemployment compensation system by the Texas Workforce Commission

Signed By Governor, 6/18/05

SB 1177

Relates to the establishment, operation, and funding of a skills development program, including the reduction of and the imposition of assessments for the unemployment compensation system.

To Senate Committee On Business And Commerce, 3/21/05

SB 1229

Relates to the powers and duties of the Texas Workforce Commission, including the administration of unemployment compensation

Committee Report Printed And Distributed, 5/21/05

Virginia
HB 2069

includes workforce assistance for persons dislocated as a result of trade, and unemployment compensation program.

Withdrawn From Further Consideration, 1/27/05

Source: LexisNexis bill tracking of StateNet database, copyright StateNet, Information for Public Affairs.