Helping Unemployed Workers Act - Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 with respect to the state-established individual emergency unemployment compensation account (EUCA). Extends the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program through March 31, 2011.
Amends the Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families Act to extend through April 1, 2011: (1) federal-state agreements increasing regular unemployment compensation payments to individuals; and (2) requirements that federal payments to states cover 100% of EUC.
Requires the Secretary of Labor to establish a program under which the Secretary shall make payments to any state unemployment trust fund (including the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands) to be used for the payment of unemployment compensation if the Secretary approves an application to receive 100% reimbursement for up to 26 weeks for a short-time compensation program.
Bars payments to a state for benefits paid to an individual who is employed by an employer: (1) whose workforce during the three months preceding the date of the submission of the employer's short-time compensation plan has been reduced by temporary layoffs of more than 20%; (2) on a seasonal, temporary, or intermittent basis; or (3) engaged in a labor dispute.
[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4183 Introduced in House (IH)]
111th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4183
To amend the Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families
Act and the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 to provide for the
temporary extension of programs providing unemployment benefits, and
for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 2, 2009
Mr. McDermott (for himself, Mr. Nadler of New York, Mr. Conyers, Mr.
Sires, Mr. Ackerman, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Lewis of Georgia,
Mr. Capuano, Ms. DeLauro, Mr. Michaud, Ms. Woolsey, Mr. Grijalva, Mr.
Kildee, Mr. Levin, Mr. Cardoza, Ms. Berkley, Mr. Ellison, Mr. DeFazio,
Ms. Pingree of Maine, Mr. Langevin, and Ms. McCollum) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families
Act and the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 to provide for the
temporary extension of programs providing unemployment benefits, and
for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Helping Unemployed Workers Act''.
SEC. 2. TEMPORARY EXTENSION OF CERTAIN UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS.
(a) Emergency Unemployment Compensation.--Section 4007 of the
Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 (Public Law 110-252; 26 U.S.C.
3304 note) is amended--
(1) by striking ``December 31, 2009'' each place it appears
and inserting ``March 31, 2011'';
(2) in the heading for subsection (b)(2), by striking
``December 31, 2009'' and inserting ``March 31, 2011''; and
(3) in subsection (b)(3), by striking ``May 31, 2010'' and
inserting ``August 31, 2011''.
(b) Additional Regular Compensation.--Section 2002(e) of the
Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families Act, as
contained in Public Law 111-5 (26 U.S.C. 3304 note; 123 Stat. 438), is
amended--
(1) in paragraph (1)(B), by striking ``January 1, 2010''
and inserting ``April 1, 2011'';
(2) in the heading for paragraph (2), by striking ``January
1, 2010'' and inserting ``April 1, 2011''; and
(3) in paragraph (3), by striking ``June 30, 2010'' and
inserting ``September 30, 2011''.
(c) Full Funding of Extended Benefits.--Section 2005 of the
Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families Act, as
contained in Public Law 111-5 (26 U.S.C. 3304 note; 123 Stat. 444), is
amended--
(1) by striking ``January 1, 2010'' each place it appears
and inserting ``April 1, 2011'';
(2) in subsection (c), by striking ``June 1, 2010'' and
inserting ``September 1, 2011''; and
(3) in subsection (d), by striking ``May 30, 2010'' and
inserting ``August 31, 2011''.
SEC. 3. FUNDING FOR TEMPORARY EXTENSION OF CERTAIN UNEMPLOYMENT
BENEFITS.
Section 4004(e)(1) of the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008
(Public Law 110-252; 26 U.S.C. 3304 note) is amended by striking ``by
reason of'' and all that follows and inserting the following: ``by
reason of--
``(A) the amendments made by section 2001(a) of the
Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling
Families Act;
``(B) the amendments made by sections 2 through 4
of the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance
Act of 2009; and
``(C) the amendments made by section 2(a) of the
Helping Unemployed Workers Act; and''.
SEC. 4. TEMPORARY FINANCING OF CERTAIN SHORT-TIME COMPENSATION
PROGRAMS.
(a) Payments to States With Certified Programs.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 30 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish a
program under which the Secretary shall make payments to any
State unemployment trust fund to be used for the payment of
unemployment compensation if the Secretary approves an
application for certification submitted under paragraph (4) for
such State to receive reimbursement for a short-time
compensation program (as referred to in section 3304(a)(4) of
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and section 303(a)(5) of the
Social Security Act).
(2) Requirements for certification.--A program may not be
certified, for purposes of this section, unless such program
requires--
(A) a participating employer to submit and comply
with the terms of a written plan approved by the State
agency;
(B) a participating employer to certify that
continuation of health and retirement benefits under a
defined benefit pension plan (as defined by section
3(35) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of
1974) is not affected by participation in the program;
and
(C) in the case of employees represented by a
union, that the appropriate official of the union has
agreed to the terms of the employer's written plan and
implementation is consistent with employer obligations
under the National Labor Relations Act.
(3) Full reimbursement.--Subject to subsection (d), the
payment to a State under paragraph (1) shall be an amount equal
to 100 percent of the total amount of benefits paid to
individuals by the State pursuant to the short-time
compensation program for weeks of unemployment--
(A) beginning on or after the date as of which a
certification is issued by the Secretary with respect
to such program; and
(B) ending on or before December 31, 2011.
(4) Certification procedures.--
(A) In general.--Any State seeking reimbursement
under this subsection shall submit an application for
certification at such time, in such manner, and
complete with such information as the Secretary may
require (whether by regulation or otherwise), including
information relating to compliance with the
requirements of paragraph (2). The Secretary shall,
within 30 days after receiving a complete application,
notify the State agency of the State of the Secretary's
findings with respect to the requirements of paragraph
(2).
(B) Findings.--If the Secretary finds that the
short-time compensation program operated by the State
meets the requirements of paragraph (2), the Secretary
shall certify such State's short-time compensation
program, thereby making such State eligible for
reimbursement under this subsection.
(b) Terms of Payments.--Payments made to a State under subsection
(a)(1) shall be payable by way of reimbursement in such amounts as the
Secretary estimates the State will be entitled to receive under this
section for each calendar month, reduced or increased, as the case may
be, by any amount by which the Secretary finds that the Secretary's
estimates for any prior calendar month were greater or less than the
amounts which should have been paid to the State. Such estimates may be
made on the basis of such statistical, sampling, or other method as may
be agreed upon by the Secretary and the State agency of the State
involved.
(c) Limitations.--
(1) General payment limitations.--No payments shall be made
to a State under this section for benefits paid in excess of 26
weeks to an individual by the State pursuant to a short-time
compensation program.
(2) Employer limitations.--No payments shall be made to a
State under this section for benefits paid to an individual by
the State pursuant to a short-time compensation program if such
individual is employed by an employer--
(A) whose workforce during the 3 months preceding
the date of the submission of the employer's short-time
compensation plan has been reduced by temporary layoffs
of more than 20 percent;
(B) on a seasonal, temporary, or intermittent
basis; or
(C) engaged in a labor dispute.
(3) Program payment limitation.--In making any payments to
a State under this section pursuant to a short-time
compensation program, the Secretary may limit the frequency of
employer participation in such program.
(d) Compliance Oversight.--
(1) In general.--A participating employer under this
section is required to comply with the terms of the written
plan approved by the State agency, including provisions related
to retaining participating employees.
(2) Oversight and monitoring.--The Secretary shall
establish an oversight and monitoring process by which State
agencies will ensure that participating employers comply with
the requirements of paragraph (1).
(e) Funding.--There are appropriated, from time to time, out of any
moneys in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, to the Secretary,
such sums as the Secretary certifies are necessary to carry out this
section (including to reimburse any administrative expenses incurred by
the States in operating such short-time compensation programs).
(f) Definitions.--In this section--
(1) the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Labor;
(2) the term ``State'' includes the District of Columbia,
the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands; and
(3) the terms ``State agency'' and ``week'' have the
respective meanings given them by section 205 of the Federal-
State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support.
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