Bill
Number: S.B. 1411
Fann
Floor Amendment
Reference
to: APPROPRIATIONS Committee amendment
Amendment
drafted by: Leg Council
FLOOR
AMENDMENT EXPLANATION
1. Maintains the taxable
wages limit at $8,000 for each calendar year after 2022, rather than increasing
the limit to $9,000 beginning calendar year 2023.
2. Provides that the
increase of the maximum weekly benefit amount (WBA) to $320 is effective on the
later of the general effective date or the expiration of the federal unemployment
insurance benefit programs established under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and
Economic Security Act and extended by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 or
any federal legislation extending these programs.
3. Requires an individual's
WBA to be redetermined during the individual's benefit year when the increase
to $320 becomes effective.
4. Lowers, from 6 percent
to 4.25 percent, the average unemployment rate below which the maximum number
of weeks an individual may receive unemployment benefits is reduced to 20
weeks.
5. Reduces the maximum
number of weeks an individual may receive unemployment benefits to 22 weeks,
rather than 20 weeks, if Arizona's average unemployment rate is at least 4.25
percent but less than 6 percent in the most recently published calendar
quarter.
6. Requires the Department
of Economic Security (DES) to annually report by December 31 to the Governor,
the Senate President and the House Speaker, unemployment insurance (UI) fraud
details for the previous fiscal year, including:
a) the number of
fraudulent claims;
b) the total paid in
fraudulent claims; and
c)
the
impact of fraud on employer contribution rates and experience ratings.
7. Requires external data
sources DES must use to accurately determine benefit eligibility to be
consistent with UI laws and U.S. Department of Labor (U.S. DOL) guidance,
rather than sanctioned by U.S. DOL.
8. Makes conforming
changes.
Page 1, line
22, after "year" insert "or
in a calendar year thereafter"
Page 2, strike
lines 5 through 10
Page 10,
line 20, after "section" insert "or the date that the federal unemployment insurance benefit programs
established under the coronavirus aid, relief, and economic security act (P.L.
116—136; 134 Stat. 281) and extended by the American rescue plan act of 2021,
or any subsequent federal legislation extending these programs, expire,
whichever is later"
Line 23,
after "section" insert "or
the date that the federal unemployment insurance benefit programs established
under the coronavirus aid, relief, and economic security act (P.L. 116—136; 134
Stat. 281) and extended by the American rescue plan act of 2021, or any
subsequent federal legislation extending these programs, expire, whichever is
later,"
Line 26,
after the period insert "Notwithstanding subsection C of
this section, an individual's benefit amount shall be redetermined during the
person's benefit year when the new maximum weekly benefit amount prescribed in
this paragraph becomes effective."
Page 11,
lines 1 and 4, after "606.32" insert "as effective on January 1, 2021"
Page 12,
line 9, strike "amount" insert "amounts"; strike "paragraph"
insert "paragraphs"; after "2" insert "and 3"
Line 10,
strike "applies" insert "apply"
Between
lines 10 and 11, insert:
"2. Twenty-two times the individual's weekly benefit amount
if the unemployment rate in the prior calendar quarter is at least four and one-quarter
percent but less than six percent."
Renumber to
conform
Page 12, line
12, strike "six" insert "four
and one-quarter"
Line 22,
after "prevention" insert "; report"
Line 23,
before "To" insert "A."
Lines 25 and
26, strike "sanctioned by the United States department of
labor" insert "consistent with unemployment
insurance laws and United States department of labor guidance"
After line
32, insert:
"B. on or before December 31 of each year, the department
shall submit a report to the governor, the president of the senate and the
speaker of the house of representatives that contains details on unemployment
insurance fraud for the previous fiscal year, including all of the following,
and shall provide a copy of this report to the secretary of state:
1. The
number of fraudulent claims.
2. The
total paid in fraudulent claims.
3. The
impact of fraud on employer contribution rates and experience ratings."
Amend title to conform