Unemployment Compensation

Passed

P HB1431

Unemployment compensation; social security benefit. Provides that weekly unemployment compensation benefits will be reduced by an amount equal to 50 percent of the Social Security Act or Railroad Retirement Act retirement benefits received by the individual and attributable to such week. This bill is identical to SB 1014.
Patron - Johnson

P HB1929

Unemployment compensation; weekly benefit amount. Changes the basis for calculating weekly unemployment benefits. Beginning July 6, 2003, an individual's benefit will be 52 percent of his previous weekly wages during the two highest quarters in his base period, not to exceed the maximum weekly benefit amount of $316. For claims filed on or after July 4, 2004, the maximum weekly benefit amount shall be $326. This bill is identical to SB 890.
Patron - Nixon

P HB2484

Unemployment compensation; exclusion for independent clinical service providers. Provides that services performed by a licensed clinical social worker, licensed psychologist, licensed professional counselor or licensed psychiatrist do not constitute "employment," for purposes of unemployment compensation, if the individual providing the services (i) operates under a contract specifying that he is free from control or direction over the performance of the services, (ii) is licensed to perform independent clinical services, (iii) is compensated solely from fees charged for the services that he performs, and (iv) has a valid business license issued by the locality where he performs the services.
Patron - Tata

P HB2722

Unemployment compensation; records and reports. Permits the Virginia Employment Commission, when sending information for the purpose of collecting fines, penalties, and costs owed to the Commonwealth or its political subdivisions, to send such information to a designated agent of the Commonwealth or political subdivision.
Patron - Reid

P SB1014

P SB1039

Notice of unemployment benefit charges and taxes. Requires the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC) by December 31 of each year to send to every covered employer a notice of unemployment benefit charges and taxes for the preceding fiscal year. Currently, the VEC sends such notice by July 1 of each year for the preceding calendar year.
Patron - Watkins

P SB1040

Unemployment compensation; base period. Provides that if an individual earned insufficient wages in the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters to become eligible for benefits, then such claimant's "base period" shall be the four most recent completed calendar quarters immediately preceding the first day of the claimant's benefit year.
Patron - Watkins

Failed

F HB2264

Unemployment compensation; responsibility for benefit charges. Eliminates the provisions in Virginia's unemployment compensation law that makes the employer who employed a benefits-eligible individual for at least 30 days or 240 hours responsible for benefit charges. The last employer of an eligible individual will be assessed benefit charges relating to such individual's benefit claim, regardless of the duration of employment.
Patron - Abbitt

F HB2485

Unemployment compensation; responsibility for benefit charges. Provides that all employers who paid wages in a claimant's base period will be responsible for the benefit charges. The amount of each employer's allocation of benefit charges is based on the ratio that the total base period wages paid to the individual by the employer bears to the total base period wages paid to the individual by all of his base period employers. Currently, the most recent 30-day employer is charged for all of the claimant's unemployment insurance benefits.
Patron - Tata

F HB2559

Unemployment compensation; shared work programs. Establishes a shared work program that provides employers with the option of reducing the hours worked by employees, while permitting the employees whose hours are reduced to receive partial compensation for lost wages. Program participation requires Virginia Employment Commission approval of a plan, which must provide that the reduction in hours of work is in lieu of a layoff of an equivalent percentage of employees, and that employees' fringe benefits cannot be reduced or eliminated during the plan. Employees must be available to work and available for full-time work with a participating employer.
Patron - Scott

F HB2770

Unemployment compensation; weekly benefit amount. Changes the basis for calculating weekly unemployment benefits and taxes. For claims filed on or after July 6, 2003, the maximum weekly benefit amount shall be 50 percent of the statewide average weekly wage. The average weekly wage is determined by (i) dividing the total number of taxable workers for the preceding calendar year by 12, (ii) dividing that number into the total wages of taxable employees for that calendar year, and (iii) dividing that number by 52 and rounding to the next lower whole dollar. The bill also raises the taxable wage base from $8,000 per employee to $12,000.
Patron - Hull

F SB890

F SB1021

Unemployment compensation; waiting week. Provides that unemployment compensation benefits for a claimant's waiting week will be paid when the claimant has been paid four weeks of benefits.
Patron - Reynolds

F SB1041

Unemployment insurance; fund balance factor. Amends the 20-year period of time for including the three years of highest benefit ratios in calculating the adequate balance of the unemployment trust fund to a time period from July 1, 1982, through June 30 of the year in which the calculation is made.
Patron - Watkins

F SB1114

Unemployment compensation; weekly benefit amount. Changes the basis for calculating weekly unemployment benefits. For claims filed between July 6, 2003, and July 4, 2004, benefit levels shall be equal to those in effect before September 9, 2001, except the maximum weekly benefit amount is increased from $268 to $318. For claims filed on or after July 4, 2004, the maximum weekly benefit amount shall be 50 percent of the statewide average weekly wage. The average weekly wage is determined by (i) dividing the total number of taxable workers for the preceding calendar year by 12, (ii) dividing that number into the total wages of taxable employees for that calendar year, and (iii) dividing that number by 52 and rounding to the next lower whole dollar.
Patron - Saslaw

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