Unemployment Compensation Passed HB732 Freedom of Information Act; release of tax and employment information. Authorizes the Virginia Employment Commission to release information to any agency or political subdivision of the Commonwealth for the purpose of collecting fines, penalties and costs. Violation of the confidentiality restrictions on the use of this information is punishable as a Class 2 misdemeanor. Patron - Howell HB1280 Benefits disqualification. Disqualifies individuals from receiving unemployment compensation benefits on the grounds of employee misconduct where their employment termination results from failing workplace drug tests conducted as part of their employers' enforcement of workplace drug policies. The bill does, however, permit the Virginia Employment Commission to consider evidence of mitigating circumstances in determining whether disqualifying misconduct occurred. The bill also makes technical amendments concerning drug testing laboratory standards. Patron - Hargrove HB1374 Child support enforcement; Virginia New Hire Reporting Center; State Directory of New Hires. Directs Virginia's employers to report information about newly hired employees to the State Directory of New Hires, a database established to aid child support enforcement collection efforts within the Commonwealth. Under current law, new hire information is provided by employers to the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC) which, in turn, reports the information to the Virginia Department of Social Services (DSS) for its use in child support enforcement. This bill requires Virginia's employers to make this report directly to the Virginia New Hire Reporting Center, operated under the authority of the Division of Child Support Enforcement. The Center will compile and maintain the State Directory of New Hires, and is authorized to share information with the VEC. Within three business days after the date information regarding a newly hired employee is entered into the State Directory of New Hires, the Center is required to furnish this information to the National Directory of New Hires. Information required to be provided under the former and proposed laws includes only that information that is required by federal law. The Board is authorized to promulgate regulations as needed to reduce unnecessary or burdensome reporting. Patron - McDonnell SB704 Freedom of Information Act; release of tax and employment information. Authorizes the Virginia Employment Commission to release information to any agency or political subdivision of the Commonwealth for the purpose of collecting fines, penalties and costs. Violation of the confidentiality restrictions on the use of this information is punishable as a Class 2 misdemeanor. Patron - Stolle Failed HB162 Disqualification for benefits. Eliminates current provisions in Virginia's unemployment compensation statutes disqualifying individuals from receiving benefits who voluntarily leave their jobs to accompany or join their spouses in new localities. Patron - Baskerville HB795 Benefit eligibility conditions; drug use prohibited. Requires applicants for unemployment compensation to sign statements declaring that (i) their last employment was not terminated due to illegal drug use; (ii) they have not used illegal drugs within the 90-day period preceding the claim for benefits; (iii) they will not use illegal drugs at any time while receiving unemployment compensation benefits; and (iv) they acknowledge current law disqualifies them from receiving any further benefits if they fail a drug test or screen required in connection with an offer of suitable employment. Patron - Day Carried Over HB776 Definition of employment. Amends the definition of "employment" in the Virginia Unemployment Compensation Act. The term "employment" means service with respect to which a tax is required to be paid under any federal law imposing a tax against which credit may be taken for taxes required to be paid into a state unemployment fund or which as a condition for full tax credit against the tax imposed by the Federal Unemployment Tax Act is required to be covered by state law. The bill removes from the definition of employment exclusions currently contained in Virginia law, thus making the definition of "employment" identical to that contained within the Federal Unemployment Tax Act. Patron - Deeds HB1070 Taxable wage base. Reduces from $8,000 to $7,000 the employee wage base on which employers must pay unemployment compensation taxes. Patron - Barlow < PREVIOUS | CONTENTS | NEXT >