Bill Amendment: FL S1906 | 2021 | Regular Session

NOTE: For additional amemendments please see the Bill Drafting List

---

Bill Title: Reemployment Assistance

Status: 2021-04-30 - Died in Messages; companion bill(s) passed, see CS/CS/HB 1463 (Ch. 2021-25) [S1906 Detail]

Download: Florida-2021-S1906-Senate_Committee_Amendment_238872.html

---

       Florida Senate - 2021                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 1906
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì238872DÎ238872                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
       —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————




       —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
       The Committee on Commerce and Tourism (Powell) recommended the
       following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Before line 15
    4  insert:
    5         Section 1. Paragraph (d) of subsection (1) of section
    6  443.091, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
    7         443.091 Benefit eligibility conditions.—
    8         (1) An unemployed individual is eligible to receive
    9  benefits for any week only if the Department of Economic
   10  Opportunity finds that:
   11         (d) She or he is able to work and is available for work. In
   12  order to assess eligibility for a claimed week of unemployment,
   13  the department shall develop criteria to determine a claimant’s
   14  ability to work and availability for work. A claimant must be
   15  actively seeking work in order to be considered available for
   16  work. This means engaging in systematic and sustained efforts to
   17  find work, including contacting at least five prospective
   18  employers for each week of unemployment claimed. The department
   19  may require the claimant to provide proof of such efforts to the
   20  one-stop career center as part of reemployment services. A
   21  claimant’s proof of work search efforts may not include the same
   22  prospective employer at the same location in 3 consecutive
   23  weeks, unless the employer has indicated since the time of the
   24  initial contact that the employer is hiring. The department
   25  shall conduct random reviews of work search information provided
   26  by claimants. As an alternative to contacting at least five
   27  prospective employers for any week of unemployment claimed, a
   28  claimant may, for that same week, report in person to a one-stop
   29  career center to meet with a representative of the center and
   30  access reemployment services of the center. The center shall
   31  keep a record of the services or information provided to the
   32  claimant and shall provide the records to the department upon
   33  request by the department. However:
   34         1. Notwithstanding any other provision of this paragraph,
   35  an individual who is otherwise eligible for benefits may not be
   36  deemed ineligible for benefits for any week if his or her
   37  ability to work, or availability to work, is precluded by the
   38  claimant’s:
   39         a. Lack of available transportation to work;
   40         b. Sickness or disability;
   41         c. Caring for a family member or a child; or
   42         d. Pregnancy.
   43         2. Notwithstanding any other provision of this paragraph or
   44  paragraphs (b) and (e), an otherwise eligible individual may not
   45  be denied benefits for any week because she or he is in training
   46  with the approval of the department, or by reason of s.
   47  443.101(2) relating to failure to apply for, or refusal to
   48  accept, suitable work. Training may be approved by the
   49  department in accordance with criteria prescribed by rule. A
   50  claimant’s eligibility during approved training is contingent
   51  upon satisfying eligibility conditions prescribed by rule.
   52         3.2. Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter,
   53  an otherwise eligible individual who is in training approved
   54  under s. 236(a)(1) of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended, may not
   55  be determined ineligible or disqualified for benefits due to
   56  enrollment in such training or because of leaving work that is
   57  not suitable employment to enter such training. As used in this
   58  subparagraph, the term “suitable employment” means work of a
   59  substantially equal or higher skill level than the worker’s past
   60  adversely affected employment, as defined for purposes of the
   61  Trade Act of 1974, as amended, the wages for which are at least
   62  80 percent of the worker’s average weekly wage as determined for
   63  purposes of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended.
   64         4.3. Notwithstanding any other provision of this section,
   65  an otherwise eligible individual may not be denied benefits for
   66  any week because she or he is before any state or federal court
   67  pursuant to a lawfully issued summons to appear for jury duty.
   68         5.4. Union members who customarily obtain employment
   69  through a union hiring hall may satisfy the work search
   70  requirements of this paragraph by reporting daily to their union
   71  hall.
   72         6.5. The work search requirements of this paragraph do not
   73  apply to persons who are unemployed as a result of a temporary
   74  layoff or who are claiming benefits under an approved short-time
   75  compensation plan as provided in s. 443.1116.
   76         7.6. In small counties as defined in s. 120.52(19), a
   77  claimant engaging in systematic and sustained efforts to find
   78  work must contact at least three prospective employers for each
   79  week of unemployment claimed.
   80         8.7. The work search requirements of this paragraph do not
   81  apply to persons required to participate in reemployment
   82  services under paragraph (e).
   83  
   84  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   85  And the title is amended as follows:
   86         Between lines 2 and 3
   87  insert:
   88         s. 443.091, F.S.; prohibiting otherwise eligible
   89         individuals from being deemed ineligible to receive
   90         reemployment assistance benefits if their ability or
   91         availability to work is precluded by specified
   92         circumstances; amending