House Bill hb1167

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2002                HB 1167

        By Representative Frankel






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to economic recovery; providing

  3         legislative intent; providing criteria,

  4         requirements, and limitations on certain

  5         training; providing for power and authority of

  6         the Agency for Workforce Innovation; providing

  7         requirements for expenditure of certain funds;

  8         amending s. 443.036, F.S.; providing a

  9         definition and an application of an alternative

10         base period; providing requirements and

11         limitations; specifying, for a limited time

12         period, alternative time periods and amounts of

13         certain payments, an increase in weekly benefit

14         amounts, and waiver of a waiting period for

15         certain individuals for unemployment

16         compensation purposes; providing an effective

17         date.

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19  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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21         Section 1.  The Legislature finds that businesses and

22  individuals in this state are experiencing significant

23  economic hardship and revenues critical to the delivery of

24  vital public services are jeopardized. Therefore, it is the

25  intent of the Legislature to establish policies designed to

26  stimulate economic activity in this state and promote the

27  economic security of the residents of this state. The need to

28  retain and create jobs in this state during the current

29  economic environment is great.  A significant investment of

30  state funds in reemployment and retraining programs is

31  essential to economic recovery in this state. The state should

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2002                HB 1167

    115-221B-02






  1  invest in economic recovery training programs that deliver a

  2  high expectation of continued employment after a reasonably

  3  short period of training is completed. Economic recovery

  4  training funds should be expended on programs that enhance the

  5  skills of citizens of this state who are employed by

  6  businesses based in this state.

  7         Section 2.  Economic recovery training shall be awarded

  8  to providers of training services on a competitive bid basis

  9  and shall receive continued payment on a performance-based

10  schedule not to exceed 12 months. Training agreements may not

11  be continued with employers who demonstrate a pattern of

12  failing to provide participants with employment. The Agency

13  for Workforce Innovation and its controlling board, Workforce

14  Florida, Inc., shall have power and authority over the use of

15  economic recovery training funds pursuant to this act and such

16  funds shall be expended in accordance with the provisions of

17  chapter 445, Florida Statutes.

18         Section 3.  Subsection (7) of section 443.036, Florida

19  Statutes, is amended to read:

20         443.036  Definitions.--As used in this chapter, unless

21  the context clearly requires otherwise:

22         (7)  BASE PERIOD.--

23         (a)  "Base period" means the first four of the last

24  five completed calendar quarters immediately preceding the

25  first day of an individual's benefit year.

26         (b)  With respect to a benefit year commencing after

27  September 1, 2001, if an individual is not monetarily eligible

28  in his or her base period to qualify for benefits, the

29  division must designate his or her base period to be the

30  alternative base period. As used in this paragraph, the term

31  "alternative base period" means the last four completed

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2002                HB 1167

    115-221B-02






  1  calendar quarters immediately preceding the individual's

  2  benefit year. Wages used in a base period to establish a

  3  monetarily eligible benefit year cannot be applied to

  4  establish monetary eligibility in any succeeding benefit year.

  5  If information regarding wages for the calendar quarter or

  6  quarters immediately preceding the benefit year is not

  7  available to the division from the regular quarterly reports

  8  of wage information, the division shall request such

  9  information from the employer. Employers shall have 10 days in

10  which to respond to wage requests from the division.

11         Section 4.  (1)  Notwithstanding s. 443.091(4)(e),

12  Florida Statutes, the waiting period of 1 week shall be waived

13  for unemployed individuals eligible to receive benefits.

14         (2)  Notwithstanding s. 443.111(1)(b), Florida

15  Statutes, the initial payment of unemployment compensation

16  benefits shall be for 1 week of compensation and subsequent

17  compensation shall occur biweekly.

18         (3)  Notwithstanding s. 443.111(3), Florida Statutes,

19  the weekly benefit amount determined under s. 443.111(3),

20  Florida Statutes, for any individual shall be increased by the

21  greater of $25 or 15 percent.

22         (4)  This section is repealed June 30, 2004.

23         Section 5.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

24  law.

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2002                HB 1167

    115-221B-02






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  2                          HOUSE SUMMARY

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      Provides legislative intent for economic recovery
  4    measures. Provides criteria, requirements, and
      limitations for economic recovery training. Provides for
  5    use of an alternative base period whenever an individual
      is not monetarily eligible in a base period to receive
  6    unemployment compensation benefits. Specifies, for 2.5
      years, alternative time periods and amounts of payments
  7    of unemployment compensation, an increase in weekly
      benefit amounts for unemployment compensation purposes,
  8    and a waiver of a waiting period for unemployed
      individuals eligible to receive benefits. See bill for
  9    details.

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