SB 162: "An Act relating to the implementation of the federal emergency unemployment compensation program; making changes relating to unemployment compensation under the extended benefits program and the supplemental state benefits program; and providing for an effective date."
00SENATE BILL NO. 162 01 "An Act relating to the implementation of the federal emergency unemployment 02 compensation program; making changes relating to unemployment compensation 03 under the extended benefits program and the supplemental state benefits program; 04 and providing for an effective date." 05 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 06 * Section 1. AS 23.20 is amended by adding a new section to read: 07 Sec. 23.20.081. EMERGENCY UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION 08 PROGRAM. The department may take the steps necessary to implement the 09 emergency unemployment compensation program in 26 U.S.C. 3304. An individual's 10 eligibility for benefits payable under the emergency unemployment compensation 11 program is determined by the provisions of AS 23.20.406. 12 * Sec. 2. AS 23.20.353 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 13 (c) In addition to the provisions of (b) of this section, supplemental state 14 benefits remain available to an eligible individual for the same period, and under the
01 same conditions as the emergency unemployment compensation program under 02 AS 23.20.081 and 26 U.S.C. 3304, during a period in which there is a state "off" 03 indicator in place under AS 23.20.408(g)(2). 04 * Sec. 3. AS 23.20.406(l) is amended to read: 05 (l) Notwithstanding (a) and (b) of this section, an individual is not eligible for 06 extended benefits unless, in the base period determined with respect to the individual's 07 applicable benefit year, the individual has been paid, for employment covered by this 08 chapter, 09 (1) total wages that equal or exceed 40 times the weekly benefit 10 amount, including any allowance for dependents, which is payable to the individual 11 during the individual's applicable benefit year; or 12 (2) total wages that equal or exceed 1.5 times the individual's wages 13 during the calendar quarter of the base period in which the individual's wages 14 were the highest. 15 * Sec. 4. AS 23.20.407 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 16 (d) During a high unemployment period, as described in AS 23.20.408(i), the 17 total extended benefit amount payable to an eligible individual with respect to the 18 individual's applicable benefit year equals the lowest amount calculated under the 19 following: 20 (1) 80 percent of the total amount of regular benefits, including 21 dependents' allowances, that were payable to the individual under this chapter in the 22 individual's applicable benefit year; 23 (2) 20 times the weekly benefit amount, including dependents' 24 allowances, that was payable to the individual under this chapter for a week of total 25 unemployment in the applicable benefit year; or 26 (3) 46 times the weekly benefit amount, including dependents' 27 allowances, that was payable to the individual under this chapter for a week of total 28 unemployment in the applicable benefit year, reduced by the total amount of regular 29 benefits that were paid or considered by the department to be paid to the individual 30 under this chapter with respect to the benefit year. 31 * Sec. 5. AS 23.20.408(f) is repealed and reenacted to read:
01 (f) Except as provided in (g)(2) of this section, there is a state "on" indicator 02 for a week if 03 (1) the rate of insured unemployment under this chapter for the period 04 consisting of that week and the immediately preceding 12 weeks either 05 (A) equaled or exceeded 120 percent of the average rate of 06 insured unemployment for the corresponding 13-week period in each of the 07 preceding two calendar years and equaled or exceeded five percent; or 08 (B) equaled or exceeded six percent, without regard to the rate 09 of insured unemployment in the two previous years; or 10 (2) the average rate of seasonally adjusted total unemployment, as 11 determined by the United States Secretary of Labor, for the period consisting of the 12 most recent three months for which data for all states are published before the end of 13 that week 14 (A) equals or exceeds 6.5 percent; and 15 (B) equals or exceeds 110 percent of that average for either or 16 both of the corresponding three-month periods ending in the two preceding 17 calendar years. 18 * Sec. 6. AS 23.20.408(g) is repealed and reenacted to read: 19 (g) There is a state "off" indicator for a week if, 20 (1) for the period consisting of that week and the immediately 21 preceding 12 weeks, there was not an "on" indicator under (f) of this section; or 22 (2) notwithstanding (f) of this section, in that week the state is 23 otherwise eligible to participate in the emergency unemployment compensation 24 program in 26 U.S.C. 3304, but the department must trigger "off" to enable the state 25 to participate in that program. 26 * Sec. 7. AS 23.20.408 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 27 (i) The state is in a high unemployment period if the circumstances set out in 28 AS 23.20.408(f)(2) are present, but the average rate of seasonally adjusted total 29 unemployment equals or exceeds eight percent. 30 * Sec. 8. TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF INELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR 31 EXTENDED BENEFITS. For the period March 7, 1993 through December 31, 1994, the
01 provisions of AS 23.20.406(c) - (h) and (k) regarding ineligibility for extended benefits are 02 suspended for those weeks of an individual's unemployment during that period. 03 * Sec. 9. Section 8 of this Act is repealed. 04 * Sec. 10. Section 8 of this Act is retroactive to March 7, 1993. 05 * Sec. 11. Sections 8 and 10 of this Act take effect immediately under AS 01.10.070(c). 06 * Sec. 12. Sections 1, 2, and 4 - 7 of this Act take effect July 1, 1993. 07 * Sec. 13. Section 3 of this Act takes effect October 3, 1993. 08 * Sec. 14. Section 9 of this Act takes effect January 1, 1995.