Unemployment Assistance for Individuals Impacted by Quarantine Order for a National or State Public Health Emergency Act of 2020

I 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 6271 To provide certain unemployment assistance for individuals impacted by quar- antine order for a national or State public health emergency, including a virus threat or other health pandemic. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MARCH 13, 2020 Ms. JACKSON LEE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure A BILL To provide certain unemployment assistance for individuals impacted by quarantine order for a national or State public health emergency, including a virus threat or other health pandemic. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Unemployment Assist- 4 ance for Individuals Impacted by Quarantine Order for a 5 National or State Public Health Emergency Act of 2020’’. 6 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:35 Apr 01, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6271.IH H6271 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 6271 IH SEC. 2. UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE. 1 The President may treat a national or State public 2 health emergency, including a virus threat or other health 3 pandemic, as a major disaster for purposes of providing 4 unemployment assistance under section 410 of the Robert 5 T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 6 (42 U.S.C. 5177). For the duration of such a public health 7 emergency, the President may provide any assistance 8 available under such section, and may provide additional 9 unemployment assistance that meets the following require- 10 ments: 11 (1) For individuals occupying a part-time or 12 full-time position of employment who do not receive 13 paid sick leave and who are under quarantine or- 14 ders, or have minor children under quarantine or- 15 ders, issued by a Federal, State, or local public 16 health authority, compensation for absence from 17 such employment for the duration of such quar- 18 antine orders. 19 (2) Compensation provided under this section 20 shall be based on the number of regular hours that 21 the individual would have worked if such individual 22 were not under quarantine orders, or was not accom- 23 panying a minor child under quarantine orders. 24 (3) Proof of pay for the period within 60 days 25 of an order described in paragraph (2) and proof of 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:52 Mar 27, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6271.IH H6271 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 6271 IH employment during the duration of the order shall 1 serve as evidence of the compensation level to be de- 2 termined under such paragraph. 3 (4) Assistance may be provided under this sec- 4 tion to individuals described in paragraph (1) who 5 are eligible for paid sick leave but denied such ben- 6 efit in the case of a quarantine order. 7 (5) Assistance may be provided under this sec- 8 tion to an individual who occupies a part-time or 9 full-time position of employment and is paid an 10 hourly rate if such individual is the primary care- 11 giver to a medically at-risk person under a quar- 12 antine order or other medical declaration issued by 13 a Federal, State, or local public health authority due 14 to the public health emergency. 15 (6) Benefit levels provided as assistance under 16 this section shall additionally meet the following: 17 (A) Benefit Levels shall be calculated 18 based upon State Unemployment Insurance 19 (hereinafter referred to as ‘‘UI’’) benefits where 20 the individual primarily worked (which may dif- 21 fer from the location where a quarantine or re- 22 cuperation from an illness may take place). 23 (B) At a minimum, individuals with em- 24 ployment that require that such individual 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:53 Apr 01, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6271.IH H6271 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 6271 IH physically be at a location that is not accessible 1 due to a quarantine or medical order due to a 2 public health emergency will receive assistance 3 under this section that is at least half of the av- 4 erage UI benefit for that State and cannot re- 5 ceive more than the maximum UI benefit avail- 6 able in that State. 7 (C) The maximum UI weekly benefit 8 amount shall be determined under the provi- 9 sions of the laws of the State in which the work 10 occurs. 11 (D) The UI benefit amount shall be cal- 12 culated to replace around 50 percent of wages 13 up to a maximum benefit amount and shall not 14 exceed 66 percent of the average weekly wage, 15 based upon each State’s practice. 16 (E) The minimum weekly assistance pro- 17 vided under this section shall be half of the av- 18 erage weekly UI benefit for the State in which 19 the work occurs. 20 (F) The terms of payment of UI benefits 21 shall be determined by the health declaration, 22 doctors orders, or public health mandate. 23 (G) The benefit shall cease upon the end 24 of the public health emergency, as determined 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:53 Apr 01, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6271.IH H6271 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 6271 IH by the President, or upon recovery or other 1 mitigation of the conditions of this section. 2 (7) The President shall consider the following 3 factors, with respect to the individual requesting as- 4 sistance for qualification under this section: 5 (A) The address of employment is within 6 the geographic area under quarantine. 7 (B) The home address is a location where 8 quarantine is declared. 9 (C) The primary means of reaching work 10 are not available due to quarantine. 11 (D) The person is under medical care 12 which prohibits them working or traveling to 13 work. 14 (E) Illness or suspected illness that is the 15 target of the national health emergency. 16 (F) Primary caregiver for someone deemed 17 to be at particularly high risk who are under 18 quarantine or medical directive regarding mobil- 19 ity or activity outside of their home. 20 (G) Have a child infant through 18 with a 21 place of education that is under quarantine. 22 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:52 Mar 27, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H6271.IH H6271 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS