CSSB 162(FIN): "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."
00CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 162(FIN) 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, total wages that equal or exceed 09 (1) 40 times the weekly benefit amount, including any allowance for 10 dependents, which is payable to the individual during the individual's applicable 11 benefit year; or 12 (2) 1.5 times the individual's wages during the calendar quarter of 13 the base period in which the individual's wages were the highest. 14 * Sec. 4. AS 23.20.407 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 15 (d) During a high unemployment period, as described in AS 23.20.408(i), the 16 total extended benefit amount payable to an eligible individual with respect to the 17 individual's applicable benefit year equals the lowest amount calculated under the 18 following: 19 (1) 80 percent of the total amount of regular benefits, including 20 dependents' allowances, that were payable to the individual under this chapter in the 21 individual's applicable benefit year; 22 (2) 20 times the weekly benefit amount, including dependents' 23 allowances, that was payable to the individual under this chapter for a week of total 24 unemployment in the applicable benefit year; or 25 (3) 46 times the weekly benefit amount, including dependents' 26 allowances, that was payable to the individual under this chapter for a week of total 27 unemployment in the applicable benefit year, reduced by the total amount of regular 28 benefits that were paid or considered by the department to be paid to the individual 29 under this chapter with respect to the benefit year. 30 * Sec. 5. AS 23.20.408(f) is repealed and reenacted to read: 31 (f) Except as provided in (g)(2) of this section, there is a state "on" indicator
01 for a week if the 02 (1) rate of insured unemployment under this chapter for the period 03 consisting of that week and the immediately preceding 12 weeks either equaled or 04 exceeded 05 (A) 120 percent of the average rate of insured unemployment 06 for the corresponding 13-week period in each of the preceding two calendar 07 years and equaled or exceeded five percent; or 08 (B) six percent, without regard to the rate of insured 09 unemployment in the two previous years; or 10 (2) 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 equals or exceeds 14 (A) 6.5 percent; and 15 (B) 110 percent of that average for either or both of the 16 corresponding three-month periods ending in the two preceding calendar years. 17 * Sec. 6. AS 23.20.408(g) is repealed and reenacted to read: 18 (g) There is a state "off" indicator for a week if, 19 (1) for the period consisting of that week and the immediately 20 preceding 12 weeks, there was not an "on" indicator under (f) of this section; or 21 (2) notwithstanding (f) of this section, in that week the state is 22 otherwise eligible to participate in the emergency unemployment compensation 23 program in 26 U.S.C. 3304, but the department must trigger "off" to enable the state 24 to participate in that program. 25 * Sec. 7. AS 23.20.408 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 26 (i) The state is in a high unemployment period if the circumstances set out in 27 (f)(2) of this section are present, but the average rate of seasonally adjusted total 28 unemployment equals or exceeds eight percent. 29 * Sec. 8. TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF INELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR 30 EXTENDED BENEFITS. For the period March 7, 1993, through December 31, 1994, the 31 provisions of AS 23.20.406(c) - (h) and (k) regarding ineligibility for extended benefits are
01 suspended for those weeks of an individual's unemployment during that period. 02 * Sec. 9. AS 23.20.081 and 23.20.353(c) are repealed. 03 * Sec. 10. Section 8 of this Act is repealed. 04 * Sec. 11. Section 8 of this Act is retroactive to March 7, 1993. 05 * Sec. 12. Sections 8 and 11 of this Act take effect immediately under AS 01.10.070(c). 06 * Sec. 13. Sections 1, 2, and 4 - 7 of this Act take effect July 1, 1993. 07 * Sec. 14. Section 3 of this Act takes effect October 3, 1993. 08 * Sec. 15. Section 9 of this Act takes effect on the date that the federal Emergency 09 Unemployment Compensation Program expires. The commissioner of labor shall certify 10 timely to the revisor of statutes the date upon which the program expires. 11 * Sec. 16. Section 10 of this Act takes effect January 1, 1995.