Amendments to State Unemployment Insurance Laws
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration
Washington, D.C. 20210
REPORT ON STATE LEGISLATION
REPORT NO. 1
July 2005
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA | B 578 (L.N. 15-325) |
ENACTED December 29, 2004 EFFECTIVE April 12, 2005 |
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Monetary Entitlement | ||
Increases the maximum weekly benefit amount from $309 to $359, effective for benefit years commencing on or after April 12, 2005. |
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA | B 71 (A.N. 21) |
ENACTED and EFFECTIVE February 18, 2005 |
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Financing | ||
Appropriates $7.241 million from Reed Act monies for the administration of the unemployment compensation and employment service programs, applicable as of January 30, 2005. |
GEORGIA | HB 404 (CH 49) |
ENACTED and EFFECTIVE April 21, 2005 |
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Financing | ||
Noncharges an employer's account for any benefits paid out to the person who leaves to accompany a spouse reassigned from one military assignment to another. | ||
Nonmonetary Eligibility | ||
Provides that leaving an employer to accompany a spouse reassigned from one military assignment to another will be deemed voluntarily leaving for good cause. |
IDAHO | HB 02 (CH 12) |
ENACTED and EFFECTIVE February 18, 2005 |
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Financing | ||
Amends state law to include SUTA dumping prevention provisions which:
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ILLINOIS | SB 1994 (P.A. 93-1088) |
ENACTED and EFFECTIVE March 7, 2005 |
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Nonmonetary Eligibility | ||
Modifies the criteria used in determining whether a locked out employee is eligible for benefits. |
IOWA | HB 764 | ENACTED and EFFECTIVE May 3, 2006 |
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Financing | ||
Amends state law to include SUTA dumping prevention provisions which:
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MAINE | HB 983 (CH 119) |
ENACTED and EFFECTIVE May 18, 2005 |
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Coverage | ||
Excludes from coverage service performed by an individual in the exercise of duties as an election official or election worker if the amount of remuneration received by the individual during the calendar year for services as an election official or election worker is less than $1,000. |
MAINE | SB 335 (CH 120) |
ENACTED and EFFECTIVE May 18, 2005 |
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Financing | ||
Amends state law to include SUTA dumping prevention provisions which:
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MAINE | HB 141 (CH 40) |
ENACTED and EFFECTIVE April 1, 2005 |
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Financing | ||
Requires charging benefits paid against the General Fund instead of the last employer's experience rating record if the claimant was hired by the claimant's last employer to fill a position left open by an individual who left to enter active duty in the U.S. military, and the claimant's separation from this employer was because the employer restored the military serviceperson to the person's former employment upon separation from military service. |
MAINE | SB 51 (CH 39) |
ENACTED and EFFECTIVE April 1, 2005 |
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Appeals | ||
Allows an individual under the Maine Enterprise Option Program (1) to appeal to the Commission from a hearing officer's decision as long as the appealing party participated in the hearing and was notified in writing of the effect of the failure to participate prior to the hearing and (2) to appeal from the Commission's decision pursuant to the state law. |
MONTANA | HB 567 (CH 187) |
ENACTED and EFFECTIVE April 7, 2005 |
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Financing | ||
Noncharges an employer's account for benefits paid due to a voluntary quit or discharge because of circumstances resulting from sexual assault or stalking. | ||
Nonmonetary Eligibility | ||
Defines the terms sexual assault and stalking; redefines the term domestic violence. Provides that an individual will not be denied benefits because of leaving work or for being discharged due to circumstances resulting from the individual or a child of the individual being a victim of sexual assault or stalking, or the individual left work or was discharged because of an attempt on the individual’s part to protect the individual or the individual's child from sexual assault or stalking. |
NORTH DAKOTA | HB 1202 | ENACTED and EFFECTIVE March 15, 2005 |
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Nonmonetary Eligibility | ||
Changes the pension offset provision to provide that the weekly benefit amount will not be reduced due to receipt of Federal Social Security retirement benefits. |
OREGON | HB 2124 (CH 35) |
ENACTED May 13, 2005 EFFECTIVE January 1, 2006 |
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Financing | ||
Amends state law to include SUTA dumping prevention provisions which:
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OREGON | SB 35 (CH 336) |
ENACTED June 29, 2005 EFFECTIVE January 1, 2006 |
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Financing | ||
Authorizes the state agency to issue warrants to collect unemployment insurance taxes and other debts in any case in which a there is a favorable judgment rendered for amounts due. |
SOUTH DAKOTA | SB 13 (CH 281) |
ENACTED and EFFECTIVE February 15, 2005 |
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Financing | ||
Amends state law to include SUTA dumping prevention provisions which:
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SOUTH DAKOTA | SB 14 (CH 279) |
ENACTED and EFFECTIVE February 1, 2005 |
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Monetary Entitlement | ||
Modifies the definition of base period to include that no calendar quarter used in one base period of a valid claim may be used in a subsequent base period. |
SOUTH DAKOTA | SB 85 (CH 283) |
ENACTED and EFFECTIVE March 2, 2005 |
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Financing | ||
Noncharges experience-rated employers' accounts for benefits directly attributable to the reinstatement of another employee upon that employee's completion of service in the uniformed services as of January 1, 2005, or the completion of state active duty by members of the National Guard who are activated pursuant to a call from the Governor as provided by law. |
VIRGINIA | SB 1112 (CH 44) |
ENACTED and EFFECTIVE March 20, 2005 |
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Financing | ||
Deletes the requirement that individuals return to their regular full-time employment once the business reopened, for purposes of noncharging an employer's account for benefits received by an individual unable to work at his regular employment due to a disaster-related business closure. |
VIRGINIA | HB 2371 (CH 464) |
ENACTED and EFFECTIVE March 21, 2005 |
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Nonmonetary Eligibility | ||
Disqualifies an individual for misconduct connected with his work due to chronic absenteeism or tardiness in deliberate violation of a known policy of the employer or one or more unapproved absences following a written reprimand or warning relating to more than one unapproved absence; provides that the Commission may consider evidence of mitigating circumstances in determining whether misconduct occurred. |
VIRGINIA | HB 2416 (CH 105) |
ENACTED and EFFECTIVE March 20, 2005 |
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Financing | ||
Noncharges employers for benefits paid to an individual hired to replace a member of the Reserve of the United States Armed Forces or the National Guard called into active duty in connection with an international conflict and whose employment is terminated concurrent with and because of that member's return from active duty; deletes reference to Operation Desert Storm/Shield. |
VIRGINIA | HB 2050(CH 918) SB 799(CH 23) |
ENACTED April 6, 2005 ENACTED March 20, 2005 |
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Monetary Entitlement | ||
Increases the minimum and maximum weekly benefit amounts from $50 to $54 and from $326 to $330,
respectively, effective July 3, 2005. Increases the earnings needed in the 2 highest quarters of the base period to qualify from $2,500 to $2,700, effective July 3, 2005. |
WYOMING | SB 97 (CH 72) |
ENACTED February 18, 2005 EFFECTIVE July 1, 2005 |
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Financing | ||
Provides that upon full satisfaction of an employer's delinquent account and by written request, the department may, for good cause shown, reduce or eliminate the additional amounts payable as a result to the 2 percent delinquency rate assigned for failing to pay contributions, interest and penalties or failing to submit quarterly contribution reports. |