Florida Senate - 2021                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 1906
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì565626;Î565626                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
       —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————




       —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
       The Committee on Commerce and Tourism (Torres) recommended the
       following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Delete lines 15 - 66
    4  and insert:
    5         Section 1. Subsection (3) and paragraphs (b) and (c) of
    6  subsection (5) of section 443.111, Florida Statutes, are amended
    7  to read:
    8         443.111 Payment of benefits.—
    9         (3) WEEKLY BENEFIT AMOUNT.—An individual’s “weekly benefit
   10  amount” is an amount equal to one twenty-sixth of the total
   11  wages for insured work paid during that quarter of the base
   12  period in which the total wages paid were the highest, but not
   13  less than $100 $32 or more than $500 $275. The weekly benefit
   14  amount, if not a multiple of $1, is rounded downward to the
   15  nearest full dollar amount. The maximum weekly benefit amount in
   16  effect at the time the claimant establishes an individual weekly
   17  benefit amount is the maximum benefit amount applicable
   18  throughout the claimant’s benefit year.
   19         (5) DURATION OF BENEFITS.—
   20         (b) Each otherwise eligible individual is entitled during
   21  any benefit year to a total amount of benefits equal to 25
   22  percent of the total wages in his or her base period, not to
   23  exceed $13,000 $6,325 or the product arrived at by multiplying
   24  the weekly benefit amount with the number of weeks determined in
   25  paragraph (c), whichever is less. However, the total amount of
   26  benefits, if not a multiple of $1, is rounded downward to the
   27  nearest full dollar amount. These benefits are payable at a
   28  weekly rate no greater than the weekly benefit amount.
   29         (c) For claims submitted during a calendar year, the
   30  duration of benefits is limited to twenty-six weeks:
   31         1. Twelve weeks if this state’s average unemployment rate
   32  is at or below 5 percent.
   33         2. An additional week in addition to the 12 weeks for each
   34  0.5 percent increment in this state’s average unemployment rate
   35  above 5 percent.
   36         3. Up to a maximum of 23 weeks if this state’s average
   37  unemployment rate equals or exceeds 10.5 percent.
   38         Section 2. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment
   39  made by this act to section 443.111, Florida Statutes, in a
   40  reference thereto, paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of section
   41  443.041, Florida Statutes, is reenacted to read:
   42         443.041 Waiver of rights; fees; privileged communications.—
   43         (2) FEES.—
   44         (b) An attorney at law representing a claimant for benefits
   45  in any district court of appeal of this state or in the Supreme
   46  Court of Florida is entitled to counsel fees payable by the
   47  department as set by the court if the petition for review or
   48  appeal is initiated by the claimant and results in a decision
   49  awarding more benefits than provided in the decision from which
   50  appeal was taken. The amount of the fee may not exceed 50
   51  percent of the total amount of regular benefits permitted under
   52  s. 443.111(5)(b) during the benefit year.
   53         Section 3. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment
   54  made by this act to section 443.111, Florida Statutes, in a
   55  reference thereto, subsections (6) and (7) and paragraph (a) of
   56  subsection (8) of section 443.1116, Florida Statutes, are
   57  reenacted to read:
   58         443.1116 Short-time compensation.—
   59         (6) WEEKLY SHORT-TIME COMPENSATION BENEFIT AMOUNT.—The
   60  weekly short-time compensation benefit amount payable to an
   61  individual is equal to the product of her or his weekly benefit
   62  amount as provided in s. 443.111(3) and the ratio of the number
   63  of normal weekly hours of work for which the employer would not
   64  compensate the individual to the individual’s normal weekly
   65  hours of work. The benefit amount, if not a multiple of $1, is
   66  rounded downward to the next lower multiple of $1.
   67         (7) TOTAL SHORT-TIME COMPENSATION BENEFIT AMOUNT.—An
   68  individual may not be paid benefits under this section in any
   69  benefit year for more than the maximum entitlement provided in
   70  s. 443.111(5), and an individual may not be paid short-time
   71  compensation benefits for more than 26 weeks in any benefit
   72  year.
   73  
   74  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   75  And the title is amended as follows:
   76         Delete lines 6 - 7
   77  and insert:
   78         to receive during a benefit year; revising the
   79         duration of benefits; reenacting ss. 443.041(2)(b) and
   80         443.1116(6), (7), and (8)(a), F.S.,