Superstorm Sandy Unemployment Relief Act of 2013 - Directs the President, in the case of an individual eligible to receive unemployment assistance under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act as a result of the disaster declaration made for Hurricane Sandy after October 20, 2012, to make such assistance available for 39 weeks after the date of the declaration (currently limited to 26 weeks).
Requires the payments to a state to equal 100% of the amount of unemployment compensation (UC) paid under state law to affected individuals in each affected state or any area within it.
Makes payments available until July 28, 2013.
Makes appropriations necessary to carry out this Act.
Expresses the sense of the Senate that upon receiving a reimbursement or advance under this Act, a state should, if its law allows:
Allows the state to receive reimbursement under this Act for any such retroactive payment.
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 803 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 803
To provide enhanced disaster unemployment assistance to States affected
by Hurricane Sandy and Tropical Storm Sandy of 2012, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 24, 2013
Mr. Reid (for Mr. Lautenberg (for himself, Mrs. Gillibrand, and Mr.
Blumenthal)) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Finance
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide enhanced disaster unemployment assistance to States affected
by Hurricane Sandy and Tropical Storm Sandy of 2012, 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 ``Superstorm Sandy Unemployment Relief
Act of 2013''.
SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF DISASTER UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFIT PERIOD.
(a) In General.--Notwithstanding the maximum time period for
assistance established under section 410(a) of the Robert T. Stafford
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5177(a)), in
the case of an individual who is eligible to receive unemployment
assistance under that section 410(a) as a result of a disaster
declaration made by reason of Hurricane Sandy after October 20, 2012,
the President shall make such assistance available for 39 weeks after
the date of the disaster declaration.
(b) References.--References in this Act to ``Hurricane Sandy''
shall be deemed to include Tropical Storm Sandy, occurring in the Fall
of 2012.
SEC. 3. ASSISTANCE TO STATES.
(a) Payments to States.--
(1) In general.--Payments shall be made to a State in an
amount equal to 100 percent of the amount of unemployment
compensation paid under the provisions of the State law to
affected individuals in each State in which a major disaster
was declared with respect to that State or any area within that
State under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Assistance Relief
and Emergency Assistance Act by reason of Hurricane Sandy in
2012.
(2) Funding and transfer of funds.--
(A) Funding.--There are appropriated, out of moneys
in the Treasury not otherwise obligated, such sums as
may be necessary for purposes of carrying out this
section, and such sums shall not be required to be
repaid.
(B) Transfers.--Notwithstanding any other provision
of law, the Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer
from the General Fund of the Treasury to--
(i) the extended unemployment compensation
account (as established by section 905 of the
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1105)) such sums
as the Secretary of Labor estimates to be
necessary to make payments to States for the
unemployment compensation identified in
paragraph (1); and
(ii) the employment security administration
account (as established by section 901 of the
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1101)) such sums
as the Secretary of Labor estimates to be
necessary for purposes of assisting States in
meeting the costs of administering this
section.
(3) Terms of payments.--Payments made to a State under this
section shall be made by way of advance or reimbursement.
(4) Limitations on payments.--No payments shall be made to
a State under this section for unemployment compensation paid
by the State to an affected individual, if the State is
advanced or reimbursed for the costs of such unemployment
compensation under other provisions of Federal law.
(b) Applicability.--Payments to a State under subsection (a) shall
be available for unemployment compensation payable with respect to
weeks of unemployment--
(1) beginning on or after October 28, 2012; and
(2) ending on or before July 28, 2013.
(c) Definitions.--In this section, the following definitions shall
apply:
(1) State; state law.--The terms ``State'' and ``State
law'' have the meanings given those terms in section 205 of the
Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970
(26 U.S.C. 3304 note).
(2) Affected individual.--The term ``affected individual''
means an individual eligible for unemployment compensation
under State law, whose unemployment is a direct result (as
described in section 625.5(c) of title 20, Code of Federal
Regulations) of the major disaster that was declared with
respect to that State or any area within that State under the
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Assistance Relief and Emergency
Assistance Act by reason of Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
(d) Sense of the Senate.--It is the sense of the Senate that--
(1) upon receiving a reimbursement or advance under this
section, a State should, if State law allows--
(A) reverse or waive any charges to employer
accounts related to unemployment compensation paid to
affected individuals for which the reimbursement or
advance is provided; or
(B) in the case of a State or local governmental
entity, non-profit organization, Indian tribe, or other
employer, which elected to reimburse the State for
unemployment compensation paid to affected individuals
in lieu of paying taxes based on charges to its
employer account, reimburse such employer for such
costs; and
(2) in the case of an affected individual in a State who,
in relation to their initial week of unemployment during the
applicable period under subsection (b), received a waiting
period credit instead of an unemployment compensation payment--
(A) the State, if State law allows, should provide
for retroactive payment of unemployment compensation
for such week; and
(B) the State may receive reimbursement under this
section for such retroactive payment.
SEC. 4. REGULATIONS.
The Secretary of Labor may prescribe any operating instructions or
regulations necessary to carry out this Act.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
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