Florida Senate - 2021                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. CS for SB 1906
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì973418:Î973418                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                  Comm: RCS            .                                
                  04/17/2021           .                                
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       The Committee on Appropriations (Brodeur, Pizzo, and Powell)
       recommended the following:
       
    1         Senate Substitute for Amendment (196634) (with title
    2  amendment)
    3  
    4         Delete lines 130 - 172
    5  and insert:
    6         6. In small counties as defined in s. 120.52(19), a
    7  claimant engaging in systematic and sustained efforts to find
    8  work must contact at least two three prospective employers for
    9  each week of unemployment claimed.
   10         7. The work search requirements of this paragraph do not
   11  apply to persons required to participate in reemployment
   12  services under paragraph (e).
   13         Section 2. Section 443.092, Florida Statutes, is created to
   14  read:
   15         443.092 Denial of reemployment assistance solely on the
   16  basis of pregnancy prohibited.—The department may not deny a
   17  person reemployment assistance solely on the basis of pregnancy.
   18         Section 3. Subsection (3) and paragraphs (a), (b), and (c)
   19  of subsection (5) of section 443.111, Florida Statutes, are
   20  amended, and paragraph (b) of subsection (1) is republished, to
   21  read:
   22         443.111 Payment of benefits.—
   23         (1) MANNER OF PAYMENT.—Benefits are payable from the fund
   24  in accordance with rules adopted by the Department of Economic
   25  Opportunity, subject to the following requirements:
   26         (b) As required under s. 443.091(1), each claimant must
   27  report at least biweekly to receive reemployment assistance
   28  benefits and to attest to the fact that she or he is able and
   29  available for work, has not refused suitable work, is seeking
   30  work and has met the requirements of s. 443.091(1)(d), and, if
   31  she or he has worked, to report earnings from that work. Each
   32  claimant must continue to report regardless of any appeal or
   33  pending appeal relating to her or his eligibility or
   34  disqualification for benefits.
   35         (3) WEEKLY BENEFIT AMOUNT.—An individual’s “weekly benefit
   36  amount” is an amount equal to one twenty-sixth of the total
   37  wages for insured work paid during that quarter of the base
   38  period in which the total wages paid were the highest, but not
   39  less than $100 $32 or more than $375 $275. The weekly benefit
   40  amount, if not a multiple of $1, is rounded downward to the
   41  nearest full dollar amount. The maximum weekly benefit amount in
   42  effect at the time the claimant establishes an individual weekly
   43  benefit amount is the maximum benefit amount applicable
   44  throughout the claimant’s benefit year.
   45         (5) DURATION OF BENEFITS.—
   46         (a) As used in this section, the term “most recent monthly
   47  Florida average unemployment rate” means the most recently
   48  available month's average of the 3 months for the most recent
   49  third calendar year quarter of the seasonally adjusted statewide
   50  unemployment rate rates as published by the Department of
   51  Economic Opportunity.
   52         (b) Each otherwise eligible individual is entitled during
   53  any benefit year to a total amount of benefits equal to 25
   54  percent of the total wages in his or her base period, not to
   55  exceed $9,375 $6,325 or the product arrived at by multiplying
   56  the weekly benefit amount with the number of weeks determined in
   57  paragraph (c), whichever is less. However, the total amount of
   58  benefits, if not a multiple of $1, is rounded downward to the
   59  nearest full dollar amount. These benefits are payable at a
   60  weekly rate no greater than the weekly benefit amount.
   61         (c) For claims submitted during a calendar year, the
   62  duration of benefits is limited to:
   63         1. Fourteen Twelve weeks if this state’s most recent
   64  monthly average unemployment rate is at or below 5 percent.
   65         2. An additional week in addition to the 14 12 weeks for
   66  each 0.5 percent increment in this state’s most recent monthly
   67  average unemployment rate above 5 percent.
   68         3. Up to a maximum of 25 23 weeks if this state’s most
   69  recent monthly average unemployment rate equals or exceeds 10.5
   70  percent.
   71  
   72  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   73  And the title is amended as follows:
   74         Delete line 8
   75  and insert:
   76         to receive during a benefit year; revising the
   77         definition of the term "Florida average unemployment
   78         rate" to "most recent monthly unemployment rate;
   79         increasing the duration of benefits based upon the
   80         state’s unemployment rate; creating s. 443.092, F.S.;
   81         prohibiting the Department of Economic Opportunity
   82         from denying a person reemployment assistance solely
   83         on the basis of pregnancy; reenacting ss.