SB1941ham004 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Rep. Jay Hoffman

Filed: 11/28/2016

09900SB1941ham004 LRB099 08774 KTG 51773 a

AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 1941

AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 1941, AS AMENDED, by replacing everything after the enacting clause with the following:

"Section 5. The Unemployment Insurance Act is amended by adding Section 409.5 as follows:

(820 ILCS 405/409.5 new)

Sec. 409.5. Extended benefits program for the steel manufacturing industry.

A. As used in this Section:

"Eligibility period" means the period consisting of the weeks in an individual's benefit year which begin in the extended benefit period and, if his or her benefit year ends within such extended benefit period, any weeks thereafter which begin in such period.

"Extended benefits period" means the period beginning December 1, 2015 and ending December 1, 2017.

B. An individual whose unemployment is attributable to a layoff from a steel manufacturing industry employer shall be eligible to receive extended benefits pursuant to this Section for any week which begins in his or her eligibility period if, with respect to such week, he or she: (1) has met the requirements of Section 500E of this Act; (2) is an exhaustee as determined under subsection C of this Section; and (3) except when the result would be inconsistent with the provisions of this Section, has satisfied the requirements of this Act for the receipt of regular benefits.

C. An individual is an exhaustee with respect to a week which begins in his or her eligibility period if:

1. Prior to such week (a) he or she has received, with respect to his or her current benefit year that includes such week, the maximum total amount of benefits to which he or she was entitled under the provisions of Section 403B, and all of the regular benefits (including dependents' allowances) to which he or she had entitlement (if any) on the basis of wages or employment under any other State unemployment compensation law; or (b) he or she has received all the regular benefits available to him or her with respect to his or her current benefit year that includes such week, under this Act and under any other State unemployment compensation law, after a cancellation of some or all of his or her wage credits or the partial or total reduction of his or her regular benefit rights; or (c) his or her benefit year terminated, and he or she cannot meet the qualifying wage requirements of Section 500E of this Act or the qualifying wage or employment requirements of any other State unemployment compensation law to establish a new benefit year which would include such week or, having established a new benefit year that includes such week, he or she is ineligible for regular benefits by reason of Section 607 of this Act or a like provision of any other State unemployment compensation law; and

2. For such week, he or she is not receiving federal Trade Readjustment Allowance benefits.

For the purposes of clauses (a) and (b) of paragraph 1 of this subsection, an individual shall be deemed to have received, with respect to his or her current benefit year, the maximum total amount of benefits to which he or she was entitled or all of the regular benefits to which he or she had entitlement, or all of the regular benefits available to him or her, as the case may be, even though (a) as a result of a pending reconsideration or appeal with respect to the "finding" defined in Section 701, or of a pending appeal with respect to wages or employment or both under any other State unemployment compensation law, he or she may subsequently be determined to be entitled to more regular benefits; or (b) by reason of a seasonality provision in a State unemployment compensation law which establishes the weeks of the year for which regular benefits may be paid to individuals on the basis of wages in seasonal employment he or she may be entitled to regular benefits for future weeks but such benefits are not payable with respect to the week for which he or she is claiming extended benefits, provided that he or she is otherwise an exhaustee under the provisions of this subsection with respect to his or her rights to regular benefits, under such seasonality provision, during the portion of the year in which that week occurs; or (c) having established a benefit year, no regular benefits are payable to him or her with respect to such year because his or her wage credits were cancelled or his or her rights to regular benefits were totally reduced by reason of the application of a disqualification provision of a State unemployment compensation law.

An individual shall not cease to be an exhaustee with respect to any week solely because he or she meets the qualifying wage requirements of Section 500E for a part of such week.

D. An individual eligible for extended benefits under this Section shall be entitled to a maximum total amount of extended benefits equal to 26 times the individual's weekly extended benefit amount. The weekly extended benefit amount shall be the same as the weekly benefit amount of regular unemployment benefits, plus dependents' allowances, to which he or she was entitled to receive under Section 403B during his or her applicable benefit year, provided the amount of regular benefits and extended benefits received do not exceed the total wages for insured work paid to such individual during the individual's base period.

E. The provisions of Section 607 and the waiting period requirements of Section 500D shall not be applicable to any week with respect to which benefits are otherwise payable under this Section.

F. No employer shall be chargeable for the extended benefits paid under this Section.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.".