HLS 20RS-1291 ORIGINAL 2020 Regular Session HOUSE BILL NO. 833 BY REPRESENTATIVE FRIEMAN UNEMPLOYMENT COMP: Provides with respect to unemployment insurance benefits 1 AN ACT 2To amend and reenact R.S. 23:1552(C)(7) and 1553(C) and to enact R.S. 23:1531(D) and 3 1533(A)(5), relative to unemployment insurance benefits; to provide for quarterly 4 wages and tax reports; to provide for the experience rating records; to provide for 5 reimbursement for benefits; and to provide for related matters. 6Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana: 7 Section 1. R.S. 23:1552(C)(7) and 1553(C) are hereby amended and reenacted and 8R.S. 23:1531(D) and 1533(A)(5) are hereby enacted to read as follows: 9 §1531. Basis of employer contributions; time for payment; computation 10 * * * 11 D. During the 2020 calendar year, each employer's first, second, and third 12 quarter wages and tax reports, along with any contributions pertaining thereto, shall 13 be deferred until two months after the regular quarterly due dates. The fourth quarter 14 wages and tax reports, along with any contributions pertaining thereto, shall remain 15 due and payable by the regular quarterly due date. 16 * * * 17 §1533. Experience rating records; administrator's duty to prepare 18 A. The administrator shall prepare and maintain an experience rating record 19 for each employer, and shall credit such record with all the contributions paid by him 20 with respect to wages paid for each calendar quarter. Nothing in this Chapter shall Page 1 of 5 CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored are additions. HLS 20RS-1291 ORIGINAL HB NO. 833 1 be construed to grant any employer or any individual performing services for him 2 prior claims or rights to amounts paid by the employer into the fund. The 3 administrator shall terminate the experience rating record of an employer who has 4 ceased to be subject to this Chapter, or may do so provided the employer has had no 5 employment in this state for a period of three consecutive calendar years. Benefits 6 accruing and paid to an individual in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter 7 shall be charged against the experience rating records of his base-period employers 8 subject to the following limitations: 9 * * * 10 (5) Benefits paid to an employee of an experience-rated employer pursuant 11 to Proclamations JBE 2020-27 and JBE 2020-29 shall not be charged against the 12 experience rating records of a claimant's base-period employer. If any federal funds 13 are received as reimbursement for benefits paid in accordance with these 14 proclamations and otherwise chargeable to an employer pursuant to this Section, 15 such amount shall be applied toward the unemployment compensation trust fund. 16 * * * 17 §1552. Financing benefits paid to employees of nonprofit organizations and of the 18 state, its instrumentalities and political subdivisions and Indian tribes or tribal 19 units 20 * * * 21 C. 22 * * * 23 (7) With regard to any benefits paid to unemployed individuals pursuant to 24 Executive Orders KBB 2005-34, KBB 2005-46, and KBB 2005-76, and 25 Proclamations JBE 2020-27 and JBE 2020-29 and hurricane-related layoffs, such 26 benefits shall not be chargeable to the accounts account of an employers employer 27 pursuant to this Section and shall not be required to be reimbursed for reimbursement 28 under the provisions of this Subsection, and such reimbursement shall not be 29 recouped. In the event that any employer pursuant to this Section was insured by Page 2 of 5 CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored are additions. HLS 20RS-1291 ORIGINAL HB NO. 833 1 private entities offering any form of insurances, bonds, certificates of deposit, or any 2 other form of guarantee against unemployment claims chargeable to the employer's 3 account, the state shall have the right to recoup such funds from those private entities 4 or their insurer for repayment of funds paid out of the unemployment compensation 5 trust fund for any unemployment claims covered in this Section. If any federal funds 6 are received as reimbursement for benefits paid in accordance with these 7 proclamations and otherwise chargeable to an employer pursuant to this Section, 8 such amount shall be applied toward the unemployment compensation trust fund. 9 * * * 10 §1553. Noncharging of benefits; recoupment; social charge account; social charge 11 tax rate 12 * * * 13 C. Recoupment of the charges set forth in Subsections A and B of this 14 Section shall be spread to all employers who pay, or are required to pay, 15 contributions under this Chapter and shall be performed on the basis of charging all 16 the amounts called for to separate accounts. The total for these amounts shall be 17 computed as of June thirtieth of each year and designated as the social charge 18 account. However, benefits paid to employees of experience-rated employers 19 pursuant to Executive Orders KBB 2005-34, KBB 2005-46, and KBB 2005-76 , and 20 Proclamations JBE 2020-27 and JBE 2020-29 shall not be recouped by spreading 21 the charges to all employers in this manner. If any federal funds are received as 22 reimbursement for benefits paid in accordance with these proclamations and 23 otherwise chargeable to employers pursuant to this Section, such amount shall be 24 applied toward the unemployment compensation trust fund. 25 * * * 26 Section 2. This Act shall become effective upon signature by the governor or, if not 27signed by the governor, upon expiration of the time for bills to become law without signature 28by the governor, as provided by Article III, Section 18 of the Constitution of Louisiana. If Page 3 of 5 CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored are additions. HLS 20RS-1291 ORIGINAL HB NO. 833 1vetoed by the governor and subsequently approved by the legislature, this Act shall become 2effective on the day following such approval. DIGEST The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)] HB 833 Original 2020 Regular Session Frieman Abstract: Provides relative to unemployment insurance benefits. Present law provides that contributions shall be accrue and become payable by each employer for each calendar year with respect to wages for employment. Proposed law retains present law. Proposed law provides that during the 2020 calendar year, an employer's first through third quarter wages and tax reports, along with any contributions pertaining thereto, shall be deferred until two months after the regular quarterly due dates. Proposed law further provides that the fourth quarter wages and tax reports, along with any contributions, shall remain due and payable by the regular quarterly due date. Present law provides that the administrator shall prepare and maintain an experience rating record for each employer and shall credit such record with all the contributions paid by him with respect to wages paid for each calendar quarter. Present law further provides that benefits accruing and paid to an individual in accordance with present law shall be charged against the experience rating records of his base-period employers subject to certain limitations. Proposed law retains present law and further provides that benefits paid to employees of experience-rated employers pursuant to Proclamations JBE 2020-27 and JBE 2020-29 shall not be charged against the experience rating records of a claimant's base-period employer. Proposed law further provides that if any federal funds are received as reimbursement for benefits paid in accordance with these proclamations and otherwise chargeable to employers pursuant to present law, such amount shall be applied toward the unemployment compensation trust fund. Present law provides that with regard to any benefits paid to unemployed individuals pursuant to Executive Orders KBB 2005-34, KBB 2005-46, KBB 2005-76 and hurricane-related layoffs, chargeable to the accounts of employers pursuant to present law and required to be reimbursed under present law, such reimbursement shall not be recouped. Proposed law provides that with regard to any benefits paid to unemployed individuals pursuant to Executive Orders KBB 2005-34, KBB 2005-46, KBB 2005-76, and Proclamations JBE 2020-27 and JBE 2020-29 and hurricane-related layoffs, such benefits shall not be chargeable to the accounts of employers pursuant to present law and shall not be required for reimbursement under present law and such reimbursement shall not be recouped. Proposed law provides that if any federal funds are received as reimbursement for benefits paid in accordance with these proclamations and otherwise chargeable to employment pursuant to present law, such amount shall be applied toward the unemployment compensation trust fund. Page 4 of 5 CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored are additions. HLS 20RS-1291 ORIGINAL HB NO. 833 Present law provides that benefits paid to employees of experience-rated employers pursuant to Executive Orders KBB 2005-34, KBB 2005-46, and KBB 2005-76 shall not be recouped by spreading the charges to all employers in this manner. Proposed law provides that benefits paid to employees of experience-rated employers pursuant to Executive Orders KBB 2005-34, KBB 2005-46, and KBB 2005-76 and Proclamations JBE 2020-27 and JBE 2020-29 shall not be recouped by spreading the charges to all employers in this manner. Proposed law provides that if any federal funds are received as reimbursement for benefits paid in accordance with these proclamations and otherwise chargeable to employers pursuant to present law, such amount shall be applied toward the unemployment compensation trust fund. Effective upon signature of governor or lapse of time for gubernatorial action. (Amends R.S. 23:1552(C)(7) and 1553(C); Adds R.S. 23:1531(D) and 1533(A)(5)) Page 5 of 5 CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored are additions.