By: Eltife S.B. No. 920
(Reynolds)
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the requirement that an unemployed individual be
actively seeking work to be eligible for unemployment compensation
benefits.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subsection (a), Section 207.021, Labor Code, is
amended to read as follows:
(a) Except as provided by Chapter 215, an unemployed
individual is eligible to receive benefits for a benefit period if
the individual:
(1) has registered for work at an employment office
and has continued to report to the employment office as required by
rules adopted by the commission;
(2) has made a claim for benefits under Section
208.001;
(3) is able to work;
(4) is available for work;
(5) is actively seeking work in accordance with rules
adopted by the commission;
(6) for the individual's base period, has benefit wage
credits:
(A) in at least two calendar quarters; and
(B) in an amount not less than 37 times the
individual's benefit amount;
(7) [(6)] after the beginning date of the individual's
most recent prior benefit year, if applicable, earned wages in an
amount equal to not less than six times the individual's benefit
amount;
(8) [(7)] has been totally or partially unemployed for
a waiting period of at least seven consecutive days; and
(9) [(8)] participates in reemployment services, such
as a job search assistance service, if the individual has been
determined, according to a profiling system established by the
commission, to be likely to exhaust eligibility for regular
benefits and to need those services to obtain new employment,
unless:
(A) the individual has completed participation
in such a service; or
(B) there is reasonable cause, as determined by
the commission, for the individual's failure to participate in
those services.
SECTION 2. Subsection (b), Section 207.0212, Labor Code, is
amended to read as follows:
(b) Notwithstanding Section 207.021, the governor, by
executive order, may suspend the waiting period requirement imposed
under Section 207.021(a)(8) [207.021(a)(7)] to authorize an
individual to receive benefits for that waiting period if the
individual:
(1) is unemployed as a direct result of a natural
disaster that results in a disaster declaration by the president of
the United States under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. Section 5121 et seq.);
(2) is otherwise eligible for unemployment
compensation benefits under this subtitle; and
(3) is not receiving disaster unemployment assistance
benefits for the period included in that waiting period.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2013.