PRINTER'S NO. 3054
No. 2231 Session of 2001
INTRODUCED BY VEON, DeWEESE, BELFANTI, GEORGE, BELARDI,
CALTAGIRONE, TRICH, SANTONI, SCRIMENTI, LaGROTTA, LUCYK,
ROBINSON, SURRA, CAPPELLI, GRUCELA, LEVDANSKY, RIEGER, MELIO,
STABACK, WANSACZ, MUNDY, YOUNGBLOOD, TRELLO, LESCOVITZ,
SOLOBAY, D. EVANS, CORRIGAN, CRUZ, LAUGHLIN, FREEMAN,
KIRKLAND, STEELMAN, McGEEHAN, COLAFELLA, DALEY, BEBKO-JONES,
WOJNAROSKI, ROONEY, PETRONE, JOSEPHS, YUDICHAK, TIGUE, COSTA,
STURLA, TANGRETTI, DeLUCA, HARHAI, SHANER, CURRY, WALKO,
BISHOP, McCALL, READSHAW, BUXTON, RUFFING, WASHINGTON, JAMES,
COY, THOMAS, TRAVAGLIO, PALLONE, J. WILLIAMS, HORSEY,
STETLER, PISTELLA, PIPPY AND G. WRIGHT, DECEMBER 11, 2001
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON LABOR RELATIONS, DECEMBER 11, 2001
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of December 5, 1936 (2nd Sp.Sess., 1937
2 P.L.2897, No.1), entitled "An act establishing a system of
3 unemployment compensation to be administered by the
4 Department of Labor and Industry and its existing and newly
5 created agencies with personnel (with certain exceptions)
6 selected on a civil service basis; requiring employers to
7 keep records and make reports, and certain employers to pay
8 contributions based on payrolls to provide moneys for the
9 payment of compensation to certain unemployed persons;
10 providing procedure and administrative details for the
11 determination, payment and collection of such contributions
12 and the payment of such compensation; providing for
13 cooperation with the Federal Government and its agencies;
14 creating certain special funds in the custody of the State
15 Treasurer; and prescribing penalties," providing for extended
16 coverage for workers who became unemployed as a result of the
17 tragedies of September 11, 2001, and for workers who were
18 eligible for benefits as of September 1, 2001, as a result of
19 downturns in the economy.
20 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
21 hereby enacts as follows:
22 Section 1. Section 404 of the act of December 5, 1936 (2nd
1 Sp.Sess., 1937 P.L.2897, No.1), known as the Unemployment
2 Compensation Law, is amended by adding a subsection to read:
3 Section 404. Rate and Amount of Compensation.--Compensation
4 shall be paid to each eligible employe in accordance with the
5 following provisions of this section except that compensation
6 payable with respect to weeks ending in benefit years which
7 begin prior to the first day of January 1989 shall be paid on
8 the basis of the provisions of this section in effect at the
9 beginning of such benefit years.
10 * * *
11 (h) Notwithstanding the current periods of payment of
12 unemployment compensation:
13 (1) Every dislocated worker shall be granted and guaranteed
14 a minimum of fifty-two (52) weeks unemployment compensation
15 benefits including any extended benefits provided by the Federal
16 Government for this purpose, retroactive to September 1, 2001.
17 (2) Workers who are dislocated workers directly as a result
18 of the national tragedy on September 11, 2001, or downturns in
19 the economy resulting from the national tragedy on September 11,
20 2001, shall also be eligible for an additional twenty-six (26)
21 weeks of unemployment compensation while in a job training
22 program that meets criteria established by the Department of
23 Labor and Industry.
24 (3) The waiting period for the commencement of payments is
25 waived for payments under paragraphs (1) and (2).
26 (4) Workers who are eligible for unemployment compensation
27 benefits as a result of downturns in the economy who were
28 otherwise eligible for benefits on September 1, 2001, shall
29 continue to be eligible for benefits for an additional thirteen
30 (13) weeks for the period September 1, 2001, to September 30,
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1 2002.
2 (5) The benefit increases under this subsection are
3 contingent on the availability of Federal funds to pay for the
4 increases.
5 (6) For the purposes of this subsection, "dislocated worker"
6 shall mean a worker determined by the Department of Labor and
7 Industry to have become unemployed as a direct result of the
8 national tragedy on September 11, 2001, or downturns in the
9 economy resulting from the national tragedy on September 11,
10 2001, and workers determined by the department to have lost
11 their jobs as a result of downturns in the economy who were
12 otherwise eligible for unemployment compensation as of September
13 1, 2001.
14 Section 2. The provisions of section 404(h) of the act shall
15 expire on December 31, 2003.
16 Section 3. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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