Strengthening Unemployment Insurance for Coronavirus Impacted Workers and Students Act

I 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 6680 To amend title II of division A of the CARES Act to modify certain provisions related to unemployment compensation, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY 1, 2020 Mr. KILDEE (for himself, Mr. RYAN, Mr. SOTO, Mr. ROUDA, Mr. LARSON of Connecticut, Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois, Ms. NORTON, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Ms. FUDGE, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. HUFFMAN, Mr. BLU- MENAUER, Ms. SPEIER, Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Ms. MOORE, Mr. CASTRO of Texas, Mr. COHEN, Ms. PRESSLEY, Ms. SA´NCHEZ, Mr. HORSFORD, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. BROWNLEY of California, Ms. JUDY CHU of California, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania, Ms. TLAIB, Ms. SEWELL of Alabama, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. FOSTER, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. CARTWRIGHT, Mrs. BEATTY, Mrs. WAT- SON COLEMAN, Ms. BASS, Ms. JAYAPAL, Ms. BONAMICI, Mr. PANETTA, Mrs. DINGELL, Mr. SIRES, Mr. LEVIN of Michigan, Mr. VARGAS, Ms. KAPTUR, Mrs. HAYES, Mr. POCAN, Ms. KUSTER of New Hampshire, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. LYNCH, Ms. DEAN, Ms. HAALAND, and Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be sub- sequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To amend title II of division A of the CARES Act to modify certain provisions related to unemployment compensa- tion, and for other purposes. VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:19 May 09, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\H6680.IH H6680 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 6680 IH 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 ‘‘Strengthening Unem- 4 ployment Insurance for Coronavirus Impacted Workers 5 and Students Act’’. 6 SEC. 2. EXPANSION OF PANDEMIC UNEMPLOYMENT AS- 7 SISTANCE. 8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 2102(b) of the CARES 9 Act (Public Law 116–136) is amended to read as follows: 10 ‘‘(b) ASSISTANCE FOR UNEMPLOYMENT AS A RE- 11 SULT OF COVID–19.—Subject to subsection (c), the Sec- 12 retary shall provide pandemic unemployment assistance— 13 ‘‘(1) to any covered individual while such indi- 14 vidual is unemployed, partially unemployed, or un- 15 able to work for the weeks of such unemployment 16 with respect to which the individual is not entitled 17 to any other unemployment compensation (as that 18 term is defined in section 85(b) of title 26, United 19 States Code) or waiting period credit; and 20 ‘‘(2) to any other individual for weeks with re- 21 spect to which the individual would be a covered in- 22 dividual but for the individual’s lack of a recent at- 23 tachment to the labor force.’’. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:19 May 09, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6680.IH H6680 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 6680 IH (b) AMOUNT OF ASSISTANCE FOR NEW JOB EN- 1 TRANTS.— 2 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 2102(d) of such Act 3 is amended— 4 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘The as- 5 sistance authorized under subsection (b)’’ and 6 inserting ‘‘Except as provided in paragraph (2), 7 the assistance authorized under subsection 8 (b)(1)’’; 9 (B) by redesignating paragraph (3) as 10 paragraph (4); and 11 (C) by inserting after paragraph (2) the 12 following: 13 ‘‘(3) AMOUNT OF ASSISTANCE FOR NEW JOB 14 ENTRANTS.—The assistance authorized under sub- 15 section (b)(2) for an individual described in such 16 subsection for a week shall be an amount equal to 17 $300.’’. 18 (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 19 2102(d)(2) of such Act is amended by striking ‘‘sub- 20 section (b)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (b)(1)’’. 21 (c) RELATIONSHIP WITH FEDERAL PANDEMIC UN- 22 EMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION.—Section 2104(i)(2)(C) of 23 such Act is amended by striking ‘‘section 2102’’ and in- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:19 May 09, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6680.IH H6680 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 6680 IH serting ‘‘section 2102 (other than assistance provided 1 under subsection (b)(2) of such section)’’. 2 SEC. 3. FEDERAL PANDEMIC SHORT-TIME COMPENSATION. 3 Section 2104(b) of the CARES Act (Public Law 116– 4 136) is amended— 5 (1) by redesignating paragraph (2) as para- 6 graph (3); and 7 (2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol- 8 lowing: 9 ‘‘(2) FEDERAL PANDEMIC SHORT-TIME COM- 10 PENSATION.—Any agreement under this section 11 shall provide that, in the case of a State that pro- 12 vides under the State law for the payment of short- 13 time compensation under a short-time compensation 14 program (as defined in section 3306(v) of the Inter- 15 nal Revenue Code of 1986), the State agency of the 16 State will make payments of compensation (as de- 17 fined in subsection (h) of such section) to employees 18 participating in such program in amounts and to the 19 extent that they would be determined under such 20 program if the State law of the State were applied, 21 with respect to any week for which the individual is 22 (disregarding this section) otherwise eligible under 23 the program under the State law to receive such 24 compensation, as if such State law had been modi- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:19 May 09, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6680.IH H6680 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 6680 IH fied in a manner such that the amount of compensa- 1 tion payable for any week shall be equal to the 2 amount determined under the State law (before the 3 application of this paragraph) plus $600 (in this sec- 4 tion referred to as ‘Federal Pandemic Short-Time 5 Compensation’).’’. 6 SEC. 4. EXTENSION OF FEDERAL PANDEMIC UNEMPLOY- 7 MENT COMPENSATION. 8 Section 2104(e) of the CARES Act (Public Law 116– 9 136) is amended to read as follows: 10 ‘‘(e) APPLICABILITY.— 11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An agreement entered into 12 under this section shall apply to weeks of unemploy- 13 ment— 14 ‘‘(A) beginning on or after March 13, 15 2020; and 16 ‘‘(B) ending on or before January 1, 2021. 17 ‘‘(2) TRANSITION RULE FOR INDIVIDUALS RE- 18 MAINING ENTITLED TO REGULAR COMPENSATION AS 19 OF JANUARY 1, 2021.—In the case of any individual 20 who, as of the date specified in paragraph (1)(B), 21 has not yet exhausted all rights to regular com- 22 pensation under the State law of a State with re- 23 spect to a benefit year that began before such date 24 (or short-time compensation in the case of a State 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:19 May 09, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6680.IH H6680 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 6680 IH described in subsection (b)(1)(B)), Federal Pan- 1 demic Unemployment Compensation or Federal Pan- 2 demic Short-Time Compensation (as the case may 3 be) shall continue to be payable to such individual 4 for any week beginning on or after such date for 5 which the individual is otherwise eligible for regular 6 compensation (or short-time compensation) with re- 7 spect to such benefit year. 8 ‘‘(3) TERMINATION.—Notwithstanding any 9 other provision of this subsection, no Federal Pan- 10 demic Unemployment Compensation or Federal Pan- 11 demic Short-Time Compensation shall be payable for 12 any week beginning after June 30, 2021.’’. 13 SEC. 5. DISREGARD OF CERTAIN COMPENSATION FOR 14 MEANS-TESTED PROGRAMS. 15 (a) FEDERAL PANDEMIC UNEMPLOYMENT COM- 16 PENSATION.—Section 2104(h) of the CARES Act (Public 17 Law 116–136) is amended to read as follows: 18 ‘‘(h) PAYMENT TO BE DISREGARDED FOR PURPOSES 19 OF ALL FEDERAL AND FEDERALLY ASSISTED PRO- 20 GRAMS.—A Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensa- 21 tion or Federal Pandemic Short-Time Compensation pay- 22 ment shall not be regarded as income and shall not be 23 regarded as a resource for the month of receipt and the 24 following 9 months, for purposes of determining the eligi- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:19 May 09, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6680.IH H6680 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 6680 IH bility of the recipient (or the recipient’s spouse or family) 1 for benefits or assistance, or the amount or extent of bene- 2 fits or assistance, under any Federal program or under 3 any State or local program financed in whole or in part 4 with Federal funds.’’. 5 (b) ENHANCED BENEFITS UNDER THE RAILROAD 6 UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE ACT.—Section 2(a)(5) of 7 the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (45 U.S.C. 8 352(a)(5)) is amended by adding at the end the following: 9 ‘‘(C) A recovery benefit payable under subparagraph 10 (A) shall not be regarded as income and shall not be re- 11 garded as a resource for the month of receipt and the fol- 12 lowing 9 months, for purposes of determining the eligi- 13 bility of the recipient (or the recipient’s spouse or family) 14 for benefits or assistance, or the amount or extent of bene- 15 fits or assistance, under any Federal program or under 16 any State or local program financed in whole or in part 17 with Federal funds.’’. 18 SEC. 6. EXTENSION OF FULL FEDERAL FUNDING OF EX- 19 TENDED UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION. 20 Section 4105 of the Families First Coronavirus Re- 21 sponse Act (Public Law 116–127) is amended by striking 22 ‘‘December 31, 2020’’ each place it appears and inserting 23 ‘‘June 30, 2021’’. 24 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:19 May 09, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H6680.IH H6680 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS