Senate Bill 0260
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2000 SB 260
By Senator McKay
26-9-00
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to unemployment compensation;
3 amending s. 1, ch. 97-29, Laws of Florida, as
4 amended; extending for an additional year a
5 temporary reduction in certain contribution
6 rates for specified employers; amending s.
7 443.111, F.S.; extending for a specified period
8 a temporary increase in the maximum weekly and
9 yearly benefit amounts for unemployment
10 compensation benefits; specifying benefit
11 years; providing an effective date.
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13 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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15 Section 1. Section 1 of chapter 97-29, Laws of
16 Florida, as amended by section 1 of chapter 99-131, Laws of
17 Florida, is amended to read:
18 Section 1. Notwithstanding section 443.131(3), Florida
19 Statutes, for the 2001 2000 calendar year or any quarter
20 thereof, the division shall subtract 0.5 percent from each
21 employer's assigned tax rate, except for those employers who
22 are assigned the initial rate or who have been assigned a
23 contribution rate of 5.4 percent or higher for more than 36
24 months. Notwithstanding section 443.131(2), Florida Statutes,
25 for the 2001 2000 calendar year, each employer whose
26 employment record has been chargeable with benefit payments
27 for less than eight calendar quarters shall pay contributions
28 at the initial rate of 2 percent.
29 Section 2. Subsection (3) and paragraph (a) of
30 subsection (5) of section 443.111, Florida Statutes, are
31 amended to read:
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2000 SB 260
26-9-00
1 443.111 Payment of benefits.--
2 (3) WEEKLY BENEFIT AMOUNT.--An individual's "weekly
3 benefit amount" shall be an amount equal to one twenty-sixth
4 of the total wages for insured work paid during that quarter
5 of the base period in which such total wages paid were the
6 highest, but not less than $32 or more than $275. For claims
7 with benefit years beginning January 1, 2001 2000, through
8 December 31, 2001 2000, an additional 5 percent of the weekly
9 benefit amount shall be added for the first 8 compensable
10 weeks of benefits paid, not to exceed $288. Such weekly
11 benefit amount, if not a multiple of $1, shall be rounded
12 downward to the nearest full dollar amount. The maximum weekly
13 benefit amount in effect at the time the claimant establishes
14 an individual weekly benefit amount shall be the maximum
15 benefit amount applicable throughout the claimant's benefit
16 year.
17 (5) DURATION OF BENEFITS.--
18 (a)1. Any otherwise eligible individual shall be
19 entitled during any benefit year to a total amount of benefits
20 equal to 25 percent of the total wages in the base period, not
21 to exceed $7,150. For claims with benefit years beginning
22 January 1, 2001 2000, through December 31, 2001 2000, an
23 additional amount equal to 5 percent of the weekly benefit
24 amount multiplied by 8 shall be added to the calculated total
25 amount of benefits, the sum of which may not exceed $7,254.
26 However, such total amount of benefits, if not a multiple of
27 $1, shall be rounded downward to the nearest full dollar
28 amount. Such benefits shall be payable at a weekly rate no
29 greater than the weekly benefit amount.
30 2. For the purposes of this subsection, wages shall be
31 counted as "wages for insured work" for benefit purposes with
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2000 SB 260
26-9-00
1 respect to any benefit year only if such benefit year begins
2 subsequent to the date on which the employing unit by whom
3 such wages were paid has satisfied the conditions of this
4 chapter with respect to becoming an employer.
5 (b) If the remuneration of an individual is not based
6 upon a fixed period or duration of time or if the individual's
7 wages are paid at irregular intervals or in such manner as not
8 to extend regularly over the period of employment, the wages
9 for any week or for any calendar quarter for the purpose of
10 computing an individual's right to employment benefits only
11 shall be determined in such manner as may by rule be
12 prescribed. Such rules, so far as possible, shall secure
13 results reasonably similar to those which would prevail if the
14 individual were paid her or his wages at regular intervals.
15 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2000.
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18 SENATE SUMMARY
19 Extends for an additional year a temporary reduction in
certain unemployment compensation contribution rates for
20 specified employers. Extends for an additional year a
temporary increase in the maximum weekly and yearly
21 benefit amounts for unemployment compensation benefits.
Specifies benefit years.
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