HB6696 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB095 22450 WGH 52792 b

95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2007 and 2008
HB6696

Introduced , by Rep. Jack D. Franks

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

820 ILCS 405/409

from Ch. 48, par. 409

Amends the Unemployment Insurance Act. Sets forth alternate criteria for determining whether a "State 'on' indicator" or a "State 'off' indicator" exists for purposes of determining whether an extended benefit period is in effect. Changes criteria for determining the extended benefits to which an eligible exhaustee is entitled. Provides that an individual who would otherwise be eligible for extended benefits shall exhaust all entitlement to emergency unemployment compensation under the federal Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 or any similar federal law before receiving those extended benefits. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning unemployment insurance.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Unemployment Insurance Act is amended by changing Section 409 as follows:

(820 ILCS 405/409) (from Ch. 48, par. 409)

Sec. 409. Extended Benefits.

A. For the purposes of this Section:

1. "Extended benefit period" means a period which begins with the third week after a week for which there is a State "on" indicator; and ends with either of the following weeks, whichever occurs later: (1) the third week after the first week for which there is a State "off" indicator, or (2) the thirteenth consecutive week of such period. No extended benefit period shall begin by reason of a State "on" indicator before the fourteenth week following the end of a prior extended benefit period.

2. There is a "State 'on' indicator" for a week:

(a) if the Director determines, in accordance with the regulations of the United States Secretary of Labor or other appropriate Federal agency, that for the period consisting of such week and the immediately preceding twelve weeks, the rate of insured unemployment (not seasonally adjusted) in this State (a) equaled or exceeded 4% and equaled or exceeded 120% of the average of such rates for the corresponding 13-week period ending in each of the preceding two calendar years, or (b) equaled or exceeded 5%; for weeks beginning after September 25, 1982 (1) equaled or exceeded 5% and equaled or exceeded 120% of the average of such rates for the corresponding 13-week period ending in each of the preceding 2 calendar years, or (2) equaled or exceeded 6 percent; or

(b) if the United States Secretary of Labor determines that (1) the average rate of total unemployment in this State (seasonally adjusted) for the period of the most recent 3 months for which data for all states are published before the close of the week equals or exceeds 6.5%, and (2) the average rate of total unemployment in this State (seasonally adjusted) for the 3-month period referred to in clause (1) equals or exceeds 110% of the average for either (or both) of the corresponding 3-month periods ending in the 2 preceding calendar years.

3. There is a "State 'off' indicator" for a week:

(a) if the Director determines, in accordance with the regulations of the United States Secretary of Labor or other appropriate Federal agency, that for the period consisting of such week and the immediately preceding twelve weeks, the rate of insured unemployment (not seasonally adjusted) in this State (a) was less than 5% and was less than 120% of the average of such rates for the corresponding 13-week period ending in each of the preceding 2 calendar years, or (b) was less than 4%; and for weeks beginning after September 25, 1982, (1) was less than 6% and less than 120% of the average of such rates for the corresponding 13-week period ending in each of the preceding 2 calendar years, or (2) was less than 5%; and

(b) if the United States Secretary of Labor determines that (1) the average rate of total unemployment in this State (seasonally adjusted) for the period of the most recent 3 months for which data for all states are published before the close of the week was less than 6.5%, or (2) the average rate of total unemployment in this State (seasonally adjusted) for the 3-month period referred to in clause (1) is less than 110% of the average for both of the corresponding 3-month periods ending in the 2 preceding calendar years.

4. "Rate of insured unemployment", for the purpose of paragraphs 2 and 3, means the percentage derived by dividing (a) the average weekly number of individuals filing claims for "regular benefits" in this State for weeks of unemployment with respect to the most recent 13 consecutive week period, as determined by the Director on the basis of his reports to the United States Secretary of Labor or other appropriate Federal agency, by (b) the average monthly employment covered under this Act for the first four of the most recent six completed calendar quarters ending before the close of such 13-week period.

5. "Regular benefits" means benefits, other than extended benefits and additional benefits, payable to an individual (including dependents' allowances) under this Act or under any other State unemployment compensation law (including benefits payable to Federal civilian employees and ex-servicemen pursuant to 5 U.S.C. chapter 85).

6. "Extended benefits" means benefits (including benefits payable to Federal civilian employees and ex-servicemen pursuant to 5 U.S.C. chapter 85) payable to an individual under the provisions of this Section for weeks which begin in his eligibility period.

7. "Additional benefits" means benefits totally financed by a State and payable to exhaustees (as defined in subsection C) by reason of conditions of high unemployment or by reason of other specified factors. If an individual is eligible to receive extended benefits under the provisions of this Section and is eligible to receive additional benefits with respect to the same week under the law of another State, he may elect to claim either extended benefits or additional benefits with respect to the week.

8. "Eligibility period" means the period consisting of the weeks in an individual's benefit year which begin in an extended benefit period and, if his benefit year ends within such extended benefit period, any weeks thereafter which begin in such period.

9. Notwithstanding any of the provisions of Sections 1404, 1405B, and 1501, no employer shall be liable for payments in lieu of contributions, and wages shall not become benefit wages, by reason of the payment of extended benefits which are wholly reimbursed to this State by the Federal Government. With respect to extended benefits, paid prior to July 1, 1989, wages shall become benefit wages under Section 1501 only when an individual is first paid such benefits with respect to his eligibility period which are not wholly reimbursed to this State by the Federal Government. Extended benefits, paid on or after July 1, 1989, shall become benefit charges under Section 1501.1 only when any individual is paid such benefits with respect to his eligibility period which are not wholly reimbursed by the Federal Government.

B. An individual shall be eligible to receive extended benefits pursuant to this Section for any week which begins in his eligibility period if, with respect to such week (1) he has been paid wages for insured work during his base period equal to at least 1 1/2 times the wages paid in that calendar quarter of his base period in which such wages were highest, provided that this provision applies only with respect to weeks beginning after September 25, 1982; (2) he has met the requirements of Section 500E of this Act; (3) he is an exhaustee; and (4) except when the result would be inconsistent with the provisions of this Section, he has satisfied the requirements of this Act for the receipt of regular benefits.

C. An individual is an exhaustee with respect to a week which begins in his eligibility period if:

1. Prior to such week (a) he has received, with respect to his current benefit year that includes such week, the maximum total amount of benefits to which he was entitled under the provisions of Section 403B, and all of the regular benefits (including dependents' allowances) to which he had entitlement (if any) on the basis of wages or employment under any other State unemployment compensation law; or (b) he has received all the regular benefits available to him with respect to his current benefit year that includes such week, under this Act and under any other State unemployment compensation law, after a cancellation of some or all of his wage credits or the partial or total reduction of his regular benefit rights; or (c) his benefit year terminated, and he cannot meet the qualifying wage requirements of Section 500E of this Act or the qualifying wage or employment requirements of any other State unemployment compensation law to establish a new benefit year which would include such week or, having established a new benefit year that includes such week, he is ineligible for regular benefits by reason of Section 607 of this Act or a like provision of any other State unemployment compensation law; and

2. For such week (a) he has no right to benefits or allowances, as the case may be, under the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act, or such other Federal laws as are specified in regulations of the United States Secretary of Labor or other appropriate Federal agency; and (b) he has not received and is not seeking benefits under the unemployment compensation law of Canada, except that if he is seeking such benefits and the appropriate agency finally determines that he is not entitled to benefits under such law, this clause shall not apply.

3. For the purposes of clauses (a) and (b) of paragraph 1 of this subsection, an individual shall be deemed to have received, with respect to his current benefit year, the maximum total amount of benefits to which he was entitled or all of the regular benefits to which he had entitlement, or all of the regular benefits available to him, as the case may be, even though (a) as a result of a pending reconsideration or appeal with respect to the "finding" defined in Section 701, or of a pending appeal with respect to wages or employment or both under any other State unemployment compensation law, he may subsequently be determined to be entitled to more regular benefits; or (b) by reason of a seasonality provision in a State unemployment compensation law which establishes the weeks of the year for which regular benefits may be paid to individuals on the basis of wages in seasonal employment he may be entitled to regular benefits for future weeks but such benefits are not payable with respect to the week for which he is claiming extended benefits, provided that he is otherwise an exhaustee under the provisions of this subsection with respect to his rights to regular benefits, under such seasonality provision, during the portion of the year in which that week occurs; or (c) having established a benefit year, no regular benefits are payable to him with respect to such year because his wage credits were cancelled or his rights to regular benefits were totally reduced by reason of the application of a disqualification provision of a State unemployment compensation law.

D. 1. The provisions of Section 607 and the waiting period requirements of Section 500D shall not be applicable to any week with respect to which benefits are otherwise payable under this Section.

2. An individual shall not cease to be an exhaustee with respect to any week solely because he meets the qualifying wage requirements of Section 500E for a part of such week.

3. For the purposes of this Section, the "base period" referred to in Sections 601 and 602 shall be the base period with respect to the benefit year in which the individual's eligibility period begins.

E. With respect to any week which begins in his eligibility period, an exhaustee's "weekly extended benefit amount" shall be the same as his weekly benefit amount during his benefit year which includes such week or, if such week is not in a benefit year, during his applicable benefit year, as defined in regulations issued by the United States Secretary of Labor or other appropriate Federal agency. If the exhaustee had more than one weekly benefit amount during his benefit year, his weekly extended benefit amount with respect to such week shall be the latest of such weekly benefit amounts.

F. An eligible exhaustee shall be entitled, during any eligibility period, to a maximum total amount of extended benefits equal to the lesser of the following amounts:

1. Fifty percent of the maximum total amount of benefits to which he was entitled under Section 403B during his applicable benefit year; or

2. Thirteen times his weekly extended benefit amount as determined under subsection E.

2.1. Effective with respect to weeks beginning in a high unemployment period, this subsection F shall be applied by substituting "eighty" for "fifty" in paragraph 1 and "twenty" for "thirteen" in paragraph 2. For purposes of this paragraph, the term "high unemployment period" means any period during which an extended benefit period would be in effect if paragraph 2 of subsection A were applied by substituting "8%" for "6.5%".

3. Notwithstanding subparagraphs 1, and 2, and 2.1 of this subsection F, and if the benefit year of an individual ends within an extended benefit period, the remaining balance of extended benefits that the individual would, but for this subsection F, be otherwise entitled to receive in that extended benefit period, for weeks of unemployment beginning after the end of the benefit year, shall be reduced (but not below zero) by the product of the number of weeks for which the individual received any amounts as trade readjustment allowances as defined in the federal Trade Act of 1974 within that benefit year multiplied by his weekly benefit amount for extended benefits.

G. 1. A claims adjudicator shall examine the first claim filed by an individual with respect to his eligibility period and, on the basis of the information in his possession, shall make an "extended benefits finding". Such finding shall state whether or not the individual has met the requirement of subsection B(1), is an exhaustee and, if he is, his weekly extended benefit amount and the maximum total amount of extended benefits to which he is entitled. The claims adjudicator shall promptly notify the individual of his "extended benefits finding", and shall promptly notify the individual's most recent employing unit, with respect to benefit years beginning on or after July 1, 1989 and the individual's last employer (referred to in Section 1502.1) that the individual has filed a claim for extended benefits. The claims adjudicator may reconsider his "extended benefits finding" at any time within one year after the close of the individual's eligibility period, and shall promptly notify the individual of such reconsidered finding. All of the provisions of this Act applicable to reviews from findings or reconsidered findings made pursuant to Sections 701 and 703 which are not inconsistent with the provisions of this subsection shall be applicable to reviews from extended benefits findings and reconsidered extended benefits findings.

2. If, pursuant to the reconsideration or appeal with respect to a "finding", referred to in paragraph 3 of subsection C, an exhaustee is found to be entitled to more regular benefits and, by reason thereof, is entitled to more extended benefits, the claims adjudicator shall make a reconsidered extended benefits finding and shall promptly notify the exhaustee thereof.

H. Whenever an extended benefit period is to begin in this State because there is a State "on" indicator, or whenever an extended benefit period is to end in this State because there is a State "off" indicator, the Director shall make an appropriate public announcement.

I. Computations required by the provisions of paragraph 6 of subsection A shall be made by the Director in accordance with regulations prescribed by the United States Secretary of Labor, or other appropriate Federal agency.

J. 1. Interstate Benefit Payment Plan means the plan approved by the Interstate Conference of Employment Security Agencies under which benefits shall be payable to unemployed individuals absent from the state (or states) in which benefit credits have been accumulated.

2. An individual who commutes from his state of residence to work in another state and continues to reside in such state of residence while filing his claim for unemployment insurance under this Section of the Act shall not be considered filing a claim under the Interstate Benefit Payment Plan so long as he files his claim in and continues to report to the employment office under the regulations applicable to intrastate claimants in the state in which he was so employed.

3. "State" when used in this subsection includes States of the United States of America, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. For purposes of this subsection, the term "state" shall also be construed to include Canada.

4. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, effective with weeks beginning on or after June 1, 1981 an individual shall be eligible for a maximum of 2 weeks of benefits payable under this Section after he files his initial claim for extended benefits in an extended benefit period, as defined in paragraph 1 of subsection A, under the Interstate Benefit Payment Plan unless there also exists an extended benefit period, as defined in paragraph 1 of subsection A, in the state where such claim is filed. Such maximum eligibility shall continue as long as the individual continues to file his claim under the Interstate Benefit Payment Plan, notwithstanding that the individual moves to another state where an extended benefit period exists and files for weeks prior to his initial Interstate claim in that state.

5. To assure full tax credit to the employers of this state against the tax imposed by the Federal Unemployment Tax Act, the Director shall take any action or issue any regulations necessary in the administration of this subsection to insure that its provisions are so interpreted and applied as to meet the requirements of such Federal Act as interpreted by the United States Secretary of Labor or other appropriate Federal agency.

K. 1. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Act, an individual shall be ineligible for the payment of extended benefits for any week of unemployment in his eligibility period if the Director finds that during such period:

a. he failed to accept any offer of suitable work (as defined in paragraph 3 below) or failed to apply for any suitable work to which he was referred by the Director; or

b. he failed to actively engage in seeking work as prescribed under paragraph 5 below.

2. Any individual who has been found ineligible for extended benefits by reason of the provisions of paragraph 1 of this subsection shall be denied benefits beginning with the first day of the week in which such failure has occurred and until he has been employed in each of 4 subsequent weeks (whether or not consecutive) and has earned remuneration equal to at least 4 times his weekly benefit amount.

3. For purposes of this subsection only, the term "suitable work" means, with respect to any individual, any work which is within such individual's capabilities, provided, however, that the gross average weekly remuneration payable for the work must exceed the sum of:

a. the individual's extended weekly benefit amount as determined under subsection E above plus

b. the amount, if any, of supplemental unemployment benefits (as defined in Section 501(c)(17)(D) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954) payable to such individual for such week; and further,

c. pays wages not less than the higher of --

(i) the minimum wage provided by Section 6 (a)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, without regard to any exemption; or

(ii) the applicable state or local minimum wage;

d. provided, however, that no individual shall be denied extended benefits for failure to accept an offer of or apply for any job which meets the definition of suitability as described above if:

(i) the position was not offered to such individual in writing or was not listed with the employment service;

(ii) such failure could not result in a denial of benefits under the definition of suitable work for regular benefits claimants in Section 603 to the extent that the criteria of suitability in that Section are not inconsistent with the provisions of this paragraph 3;

(iii) the individual furnishes satisfactory evidence to the Director that his prospects for obtaining work in his customary occupation within a reasonably short period are good. If such evidence is deemed satisfactory for this purpose, the determination of whether any work is suitable with respect to such individual shall be made in accordance with the definition of suitable work for regular benefits in Section 603 without regard to the definition specified by this paragraph.

4. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 3 to the contrary, no work shall be deemed to be suitable work for an individual which does not accord with the labor standard provisions required by Section 3304(a)(5) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 and set forth herein under Section 603 of this Act.

5. For the purposes of subparagraph b of paragraph 1, an individual shall be treated as actively engaged in seeking work during any week if --

a. the individual has engaged in a systematic and sustained effort to obtain work during such week, and

b. the individual furnishes tangible evidence that he has engaged in such effort during such week.

6. The employment service shall refer any individual entitled to extended benefits under this Act to any suitable work which meets the criteria prescribed in paragraph 3.

7. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, an individual shall not be eligible to receive extended benefits, otherwise payable under this Section, with respect to any week of unemployment in his eligibility period if such individual has been held ineligible for benefits under the provisions of Sections 601, 602 or 603 of this Act until such individual had requalified for such benefits by returning to employment and satisfying the monetary requalification provision by earning at least his weekly benefit amount.

8. This subsection shall be effective for weeks beginning on or after March 31, 1981, and before March 7, 1993, and for weeks beginning on or after January 1, 1995.

L. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act to the contrary, an individual who would otherwise be eligible for benefits under this Section shall exhaust all entitlement to emergency unemployment compensation under the federal Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 or any similar federal law prior to receiving any benefits for which he or she might otherwise be eligible under this Section.

M. If, pursuant to subdivision 2(b) of subsection A of this Section, there is an "on" indicator for the week in which this amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly takes effect, this Section shall be applied as though that week is the first week for which there is an "on" indicator pursuant to subdivision 2(b) of subsection A of this Section.

(Source: P.A. 86-3; 87-1266.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.