Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB945 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	81R8142 KSD-D
2	2	By: Zaffirini S.B. No. 945
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to unemployment compensation benefits.
8	8	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
9	9	SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 201, Labor Code, is
10	10	amended by adding Section 201.013 to read as follows:
11	11	Sec. 201.013. DEFINITION OF BASE PERIOD; ALTERNATE BASE
12	12	PERIODS. (a) For purposes of this subtitle and subject to this
13	13	section, an individual's base period is the four consecutive
14	14	completed calendar quarters, prescribed by the commission, in the
15	15	five consecutive completed calendar quarters preceding the first
16	16	day of an individual's benefit year.
17	17	(b) For an individual precluded because of a medically
18	18	verifiable injury or illness from working during a major part of a
19	19	calendar quarter of the period that would otherwise be the
20	20	individual's base period under Subsection (a), the base period is
21	21	the first four calendar quarters of the five consecutive calendar
22	22	quarters preceding the calendar quarter in which the illness began
23	23	or the injury occurred if the individual files an initial claim for
24	24	benefits not later than 24 months after the date on which the
25	25	individual's injury or illness began or occurred.
26	26	(c) For an individual who does not have sufficient benefit
27	27	wage credits to qualify for benefits under the computation of the
28	28	base period as provided by Subsection (a) or (b), the base period is
29	29	the four most recently completed calendar quarters preceding the
30	30	first day of the individual's benefit year.
31	31	SECTION 2. Section 207.021, Labor Code, is amended by
32	32	adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:
33	33	(d) An individual is available for work for purposes of
34	34	Subsection (a)(4) even if the individual is available only for
35	35	part-time work if:
36	36	(1) the individual establishes to the satisfaction of
37	37	the commission that the individual has a legitimate reason to limit
38	38	the individual's employment to part-time work; and
39	39	(2) the individual's last work was part-time work.
40	40	SECTION 3. Section 207.045(d), Labor Code, is amended to
41	41	read as follows:
42	42	(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, an
43	43	individual who is available to work may not be disqualified for
44	44	benefits because the individual left work because of:
45	45	(1) a medically verified illness of the individual or
46	46	the individual's minor child;
47	47	(2) injury;
48	48	(3) disability;
49	49	(4) pregnancy;
50	50	(5) an involuntary separation as described by Section
51	51	207.046; [or]
52	52	(6) a move from the area of the individual's employment
53	53	that:
54	54	(A) was made with the individual's spouse who is
55	55	a member of the armed forces of the United States; and
56	56	(B) resulted from the spouse's permanent change
57	57	of station of longer than 120 days or a tour of duty of longer than
58	58	one year; or
59	59	(7) a move to a location from which it is impractical
60	60	for the individual to commute that:
61	61	(A) was made with the individual's spouse who is
62	62	not a member of the armed forces of the United States; and
63	63	(B) resulted from a change in the location of the
64	64	spouse's employment.
65	65	SECTION 4. The following provisions are repealed:
66	66	(1) Section 201.011(1), Labor Code; and
67	67	(2) Section 207.045(c), Labor Code.
68	68	SECTION 5. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to
69	69	eligibility for unemployment compensation benefits based on a claim
70	70	that is filed with the Texas Workforce Commission on or after the
71	71	effective date of this Act. A claim filed before the effective date
72	72	of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the claim
73	73	was filed, and the former law is continued in effect for that
74	74	purpose.
75	75	SECTION 6. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009.