HS/HB 162 - This act modifies provisions of the unemployment insurance laws.

The benefit amount for initial claims shall be rounded down to the nearest dollar.

Currently, a claimant must report in person to the Division of Employment Security at least once every four weeks, except in certain specific circumstances. This act adds an exception when the Director of the Division of Employment Security determines that the claimant belongs to a group of employees that will not benefit from reporting in person, or that the claimant cannot report in person due to emergency conditions at the reporting office that would hinder the claimant from reporting in person. The current exceptions are: (1) when a claimant's benefits are claimed due to partial or temporary total unemployment under Division regulations; (2) the claimant is temporarily unemployed and has a definite recall date within 8 weeks; or (3) the claimant resides in a county with an unemployment rate of 10% or more and the county seat is more than 40 miles from the nearest office.

This act also changes the rate that an employer is charged when the employer is ineligible for a rate calculation after once becoming eligible. Currently, this rate is 5.4%. This act would retain the 5.4% if there is a deficit experience rate account balance, and would charge the employer 2.7% if the employer had a positive experience rate account balance.

This act puts employees of charitable and religious organizations on notice that wages from such organizations are not used to determine workers' status for unemployment benefits. This portion of the act is identical to SB 32 (1999) and HCS/SB 839 (1998).
MARGARET J. TOALSON