House File 447
HOUSE FILE
BY PETERSEN
Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act relating to attachment=to=the=workforce requirements for
2 unemployment benefits.
3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
4 TLSB 2091HH 80
5 kk/cl/14
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. Section 96.4, subsection 4, Code 2003, is
1 2 amended to read as follows:
1 3 4. a. The individual has been paid wages for insured work
1 4 during the individual's base period in an amount at least one
1 5 and one=quarter times the wages paid to the individual during
1 6 that quarter of the individual's base period in which the
1 7 individual's wages were highest; provided that the individual
1 8 has been paid wages for insured work totaling at least three
1 9 and five=tenths percent of the statewide average annual wage
1 10 for insured work, computed for the preceding calendar year if
1 11 the individual's benefit year begins on or after the first
1 12 full week in July and computed for the second preceding
1 13 calendar year if the individual's benefit year begins before
1 14 the first full week in July, in that calendar quarter in the
1 15 individual's base period in which the individual's wages were
1 16 highest, and the individual has been paid wages for insured
1 17 work totaling at least one=half of the amount of wages
1 18 required under this subsection in the calendar quarter of the
1 19 base period in which the individual's wages were highest, in a
1 20 calendar quarter in the individual's base period other than
1 21 the calendar quarter in which the individual's wages were
1 22 highest. The calendar quarter wage requirements shall be
1 23 rounded to the nearest multiple of ten dollars.
1 24 b. For any benefit year beginning on or after July 1,
1 25 2004, for an individual who does not have sufficient wages in
1 26 the base period, as defined in section 96.19, to otherwise
1 27 qualify for benefits pursuant to this subsection, the
1 28 individual's base period shall be the last four completed
1 29 calendar quarters immediately preceding the first day of the
1 30 individual's benefit year if such period qualifies the
1 31 individual for benefits under this subsection. The director
1 32 shall adopt rules for obtaining any additional wage
1 33 information needed to calculate the base period under this
1 34 paragraph if such information is not available to the
1 35 department in a timely manner from regular quarterly reports
2 1 of wage information.
2 2 (1) Wages that fall within the extraordinary base period
2 3 established under this paragraph "b" are not available for
2 4 qualifying for benefits in any subsequent benefit year.
2 5 (2) For claims filed pursuant to an arrangement under
2 6 section 96.20, the base period is that base period applicable
2 7 under the unemployment compensation law of the paying state.
2 8 c. If the individual has drawn benefits in any benefit
2 9 year, the individual must during or subsequent to that year,
2 10 work in and be paid wages for insured work totaling at least
2 11 two hundred fifty dollars, as a condition to receive benefits
2 12 in the next benefit year.
2 13 EXPLANATION
2 14 This bill provides for an alternate method of calculating
2 15 the base period, to determine the monetary attachment=to=the=
2 16 workforce eligibility of individuals for unemployment
2 17 benefits, in cases where the current method of calculation
2 18 makes an individual ineligible for unemployment benefits.
2 19 Currently, the base period consists of the first four
2 20 calendar quarters of the five calendar quarters immediately
2 21 preceding the calendar quarter in which the claim for
2 22 unemployment benefits is filed. This bill would move the base
2 23 period closer, by one quarter, to the benefit claim filing
2 24 date so that the base period would consist of the first four
2 25 calendar quarters immediately preceding the calendar quarter
2 26 in which the claim for unemployment benefits is filed.
2 27 The bill would apply to individual benefit years beginning
2 28 on or after July 1, 2004.
2 29 LSB 2091HH 80
2 30 kk/cl/14