HB 332: "An Act relating to the calculation and payment of unemployment compensation benefits; and providing for an effective date."
00 HOUSE BILL NO. 332 01 "An Act relating to the calculation and payment of unemployment compensation 02 benefits; and providing for an effective date." 03 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 04 * Section 1. AS 23.20.350(d) is amended to read: 05 (d) An individual who is eligible under (a) of this section is entitled to receive 06 the weekly benefit amount set out in column (B) of the table in this subsection that is 07 opposite the amount set out in column (A) of the individual's base period wages 08 determined under (c) of this section: 09 (A) (B) 10 Base Period Wages Weekly Benefit 11 Amount 12 At least But less than 13 0 1,000 $ 0 14 1,000 1,250 44
01 1,250 1,500 46 02 1,500 1,750 48 03 1,750 2,000 50 04 2,000 2,250 52 05 2,250 2,500 54 06 2,500 2,750 56 07 2,750 3,000 58 08 3,000 3,250 60 09 3,250 3,500 62 10 3,500 3,750 64 11 3,750 4,000 66 12 4,000 4,250 68 13 4,250 4,500 70 14 4,500 4,750 72 15 4,750 5,000 74 16 5,000 5,250 76 17 5,250 5,500 78 18 5,500 5,750 80 19 5,750 6,000 82 20 6,000 6,250 84 21 6,250 6,500 86 22 6,500 6,750 88 23 6,750 7,000 90 24 7,000 7,250 92 25 7,250 7,500 94 26 7,500 7,750 96 27 7,750 8,000 98 28 8,000 8,250 100 29 8,250 8,500 102 30 8,500 8,750 104 31 8,750 9,000 106
01 9,000 9,250 108 02 9,250 9,500 110 03 9,500 9,750 112 04 9,750 10,000 114 05 10,000 10,250 116 06 10,250 10,500 118 07 10,500 10,750 120 08 10,750 11,000 122 09 11,000 11,250 124 10 11,250 11,500 126 11 11,500 11,750 128 12 11,750 12,000 130 13 12,000 12,250 132 14 12,250 12,500 134 15 12,500 12,750 136 16 12,750 13,000 138 17 13,000 13,250 140 18 13,250 13,500 142 19 13,500 13,750 144 20 13,750 14,000 146 21 14,000 14,250 148 22 14,250 14,500 150 23 14,500 14,750 152 24 14,750 15,000 154 25 15,000 15,250 156 26 15,250 15,500 158 27 15,500 15,750 160 28 15,750 16,000 162 29 16,000 16,250 164 30 16,250 16,500 166 31 16,500 16,750 168
01 16,750 17,000 170 02 17,000 17,250 172 03 17,250 17,500 174 04 17,500 17,750 176 05 17,750 18,000 178 06 18,000 18,250 180 07 18,250 18,500 182 08 18,500 18,750 184 09 18,750 19,000 186 10 19,000 19,250 188 11 19,250 19,500 190 12 19,500 19,750 192 13 19,750 20,000 194 14 20,000 20,250 196 15 20,250 20,500 198 16 20,500 20,750 200 17 20,750 21,000 202 18 21,000 21,250 204 19 21,250 21,500 206 20 21,500 21,750 208 21 21,750 22,000 210 22 22,000 22,250 212 23 22,250 22,500 214 24 22,500 22,750 216 25 22,750 23,000 218 26 23,000 23,250 220 27 23,250 23,500 222 28 23,500 23,750 224 29 23,750 24,000 226 30 24,000 24,250 228 31 24,250 24,500 230
01 24,500 24,750 232 02 24,750 25,000 234 03 25,000 25,250 236 04 25,250 25,500 238 05 25,500 25,750 240 06 25,750 26,000 242 07 26,000 26,250 244 08 26,250 26,500 246 09 26,500 26,750 248 10 26,750 27,000 250 11 27,000 27,250 252 12 27,250 27,500 254 13 27,500 27,750 256 14 27,750 28,000 258 15 28,000 28,250 260 16 28,250 28,500 262 17 28,500 28,750 264 18 28,750 29,000 266 19 29,000 29,250 268 20 29,250 29,500 270 21 29,500 29,750 272 22 29,750 30,000 274 23 30,000 30,250 276 24 30,250 30,500 278 25 30,500 30,750 280 26 30,750 31,000 282 27 31,000 31,250 284 28 31,250 31,500 286 29 31,500 31,750 288 30 31,750 32,000 290 31 32,000 32,250 292
01 32,250 32,500 294 02 32,500 32,750 296 03 32,750 33,000 298 04 33,000 33,250 300 05 33,250 33,500 302 06 33,500 33,750 304 07 33,750 34,000 306 08 34,000 34,250 308 09 34,250 34,500 310 10 34,500 34,750 312 11 34,750 35,000 314 12 35,000 35,250 316 13 35,250 35,500 318 14 35,500 35,750 320 15 35,750 36,000 322 16 36,000 36,250 324 17 36,250 36,500 326 18 36,500 36,750 328 19 36,750 37,000 330 20 37,000 37,250 332 21 37,250 37,500 334 22 37,500 37,750 336 23 37,750 336 [248]. 24 * Sec. 2. AS 23.20.350(e) is amended to read: 25 (e) An individual who is eligible under (d) or (h) of this section is entitled to 26 receive a weekly benefit under this chapter for the number of weeks set out in column 27 (B) of the table in this subsection opposite the applicable earnings ratio of the 28 individual set out in column (A): 29 (A) (B) 30 Earnings Ratio Number of Weeks 31 less than 1.50 16
01 1.50-1.99 18 02 2.00-2.49 20 03 2.50-2.99 22 04 3.00-3.49 24 05 3.50 or more 26. 06 * Sec. 3. AS 23.20.350 is amended by adding new subsections to read: 07 (h) Notwithstanding (d) of this section, for a benefit year beginning on or after 08 January 1, 2006, an individual who is eligible under (a) of this section is entitled to 09 receive the weekly benefit amount calculated in accordance with this subsection and 10 set under (i) of this section if the individual's base period wages determined under (c) 11 of this section are at least $38,000. The department shall adopt regulations to establish 12 a methodology to calculate new amounts that increase the highest weekly benefit 13 amount shown in (d) of this section by $2 increments and the highest base period 14 wages amount shown in (d) of this section by $250 increments if the average weekly 15 wage in this state, as calculated under (k) of this section, has increased by an 16 increment amount established by the department in the regulations. The methodology 17 established under this subsection may not result in new weekly benefit amounts that 18 exceed 50 percent replacement of the average weekly wages in this state as determined 19 under (k) of this section. By December 1 of each year, the department shall apply the 20 methodology established under this subsection to calculate any new weekly benefit 21 and base period wages amounts. 22 (i) By December 1 of each year, the department shall give notice of any 23 proposed new weekly benefit amounts calculated under (h) of this section by posting 24 notice on the Alaska Online Public Notice System (AS 44.62.175), furnishing notice 25 to interested persons who have requested notification, and providing a press release to 26 the media. In the notice, the department shall provide the public with an opportunity 27 to comment on the accuracy of the department's calculations. Fifteen days after 28 posting the notice on the Alaska Online Public Notice System, the department shall set 29 the new weekly benefit amounts. A new weekly benefit amount set under this 30 subsection applies January 1 of the following calendar year, but does not apply to an 31 individual whose current benefit year began before that date. The department may set
01 new weekly benefit amounts under this subsection only once each calendar year, 02 beginning in December 2005. The process under this subsection is exempt from 03 AS 44.62 (Administrative Procedure Act), but the weekly benefit amounts set under 04 this subsection shall be submitted to the lieutenant governor for publication in the 05 Alaska Administrative Code for informational purposes. 06 (j) The commissioner shall report to the governor and the legislature if the 07 average weekly wage in this state decreases to the extent that an adjustment in weekly 08 benefit amounts set in (d) of this section or under (h) and (i) of this section is 09 appropriate for the proper administration of trust funds under this chapter. 10 (k) By December 1 of each year, the department shall determine the average 11 weekly wage in this state by dividing the average annual wage in this state for the 12 preceding 12-month period ending June 30 by 52. The resulting figure is the average 13 weekly wage in this state for purposes of the department's calculations under (h) and 14 (j) of this section. For purposes of this subsection, the department's calculation of the 15 average annual wage in this state shall include the wages of all employees in the state, 16 both public and private, who are covered by this chapter. 17 * Sec. 4. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 18 read: 19 TRANSITION: REGULATIONS. Notwithstanding sec. 6 of this Act, the 20 Department of Labor and Workforce Development may immediately proceed to adopt 21 regulations necessary to implement the changes made by this Act. The regulations take effect 22 under AS 44.62 (Administrative Procedure Act), but not before the effective date of the 23 statutory change. 24 * Sec. 5. Section 4 of this Act takes effect immediately under AS 01.10.070(c). 25 * Sec. 6. Except as provided in sec. 5 of this Act, this Act takes effect January 1, 2005.