In order to implement the shared responsibility found necessary by the general assembly to bring the unemployment trust fund balance to a level recommended by the U.S. Department of Labor, this act proposes to implement the following reforms and changes:
(A) Implement a graduated increase in unemployment insurance taxes to be paid by employers, by increasing the taxable wage base.
(B) Implement a fee on reimbursable employers indexed to the cost of borrowing money from the federal government.
(C) Continue a temporary freeze on the maximum weekly benefit amount at $425.00 until the trust fund is at an adequate level again.
(D) Delay weekly benefit amounts by implementing a one-week waiting period before unemployment benefits are paid.
(E) Change the method of determining qualifications for claimants who have lost a job due to employee misconduct.
(F) Create an incentive for temporary or seasonal workers to return to work by implementing a new method of determining benefit amount by averaging the wages of four rather than two quarters.
(G) Implement safeguards that trigger contributions and benefit changes when the unemployment trust fund reaches certain balances.
(H) Implement a payroll tax of 0.002 to be paid by the workforce until the balance in the unemployment trust fund reaches the current recommended level of $325 million. View full bill S. 290