HOUSE AMENDMENT

                                                  Bill No. HB 1945

    Amendment No. ___ (for drafter's use only)

                            CHAMBER ACTION
              Senate                               House
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  5                                           ORIGINAL STAMP BELOW

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11  Representative(s) Meadows, Fields, Frankel, Romeo, Wiles,

12  Joyner, Henriquez, Kosmas, Bucher, Gannon, Ryan, Wishner,

13  Cusack, Seiler, Richardson, Ausley, Harper, Weissman and

14  Siplin offered the following:

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16         Amendment (with title amendment) 

17         On page 25, line 25 of the bill

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19  insert:

20         Section 30.  In order to implement specific

21  appropriations 2195-2202 of the 2002-2003 General

22  Appropriations Act, subsection (7) of section 443.036, Florida

23  Statutes, is amended to read:

24         443.036  Definitions.--As used in this chapter, unless

25  the context clearly requires otherwise:

26         (7)  BASE PERIOD.--(a)  "Base period" means the first

27  four of the last five completed calendar quarters immediately

28  preceding the first day of an individual's benefit year.

29         (b)  For the 2002-2003 fiscal year only, with respect

30  to a benefit year commencing on or after October 1, 2002, if

31  an individual is not monetarily eligible in his or her base

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    File original & 9 copies    02/28/02
    hap0008                     04:43 pm         01945-0094-633761




                                                   HOUSE AMENDMENT

                                                  Bill No. HB 1945

    Amendment No. ___ (for drafter's use only)





  1  period to qualify for benefits, the division must designate

  2  his or her base period to be the alternative base period.  As

  3  used in this paragraph, the term "alternative base period"

  4  means the last four completed calendar quarters immediately

  5  preceding the first day of an individual's benefit year.

  6  Wages used in a base period to establish a monetarily eligible

  7  benefit year may not be applied to establish monetary

  8  eligibility in any succeeding benefit year.  If information

  9  regarding wages for the calendar quarter or quarters

10  immediately preceding the benefit year has not been input into

11  the division's mainframe database from the regular quarterly

12  reports of wage information or is otherwise unavailable , the

13  division shall request such information  from the employer.

14  An employer must provide the requested wage information within

15  10 days after receiving a request from the division.  An

16  employer who fails to provide the requested wage information

17  within the required time is subject to the penalty for

18  delinquent reports in s. 443.141(1)(b).  This paragraph

19  expires July 1, 2003.

20         (c)  For the 2002-2003 fiscal year only, for monetary

21  determinations based upon the alternative base period under

22  paragraph (b), if the division is unable to access the wage

23  information through its mainframe database, the division may

24  base the determination of eligibility for benefits on an

25  affidavit submitted by the individual with respect to wages

26  for those calendar quarters.  The individual must furnish

27  payroll information, if available, in support of the

28  affidavit.  A determination of benefits based upon an

29  alternative base period shall be adjusted when the quarterly

30  report of wage information from the employer is received, if

31  that information causes a change in the determination.  This

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    File original & 9 copies    02/28/02
    hap0008                     04:43 pm         01945-0094-633761




                                                   HOUSE AMENDMENT

                                                  Bill No. HB 1945

    Amendment No. ___ (for drafter's use only)





  1  paragraph expires July 1, 2003.

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  4  ================ T I T L E   A M E N D M E N T ===============

  5  And the title is amended as follows:

  6         On page 2, line 4 after the semicolon

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  8  and insert:

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

10         definition and an application of an alternative

11         base period for unemployment compensation;

12         providing requirements and limitations;

13         requiring employers to respond to requests for

14         information and providing a penalty for failure

15         to respond; providing for adjustments in

16         determinations of monetary eligibility;

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    File original & 9 copies    02/28/02
    hap0008                     04:43 pm         01945-0094-633761