CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
House Bill 1617




    Florida House of Representatives - 1997                HB 1617

        By Representative D. Prewitt






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to determination of

  3         unemployment compensation base periods;

  4         amending s. 443.036, F.S.; providing for

  5         alternative base periods under certain

  6         circumstances; providing criteria; providing a

  7         limitation; providing an effective date.

  8

  9  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

10

11         Section 1.  Subsection (5) of section 443.036, Florida

12  Statutes, 1996 Supplement, is amended to read:

13         443.036  Definitions.--As used in this chapter, unless

14  the context clearly requires otherwise:

15         (5)  BASE PERIOD.--

16         (a)  "Base period" means the first four of the last

17  five completed calendar quarters immediately preceding the

18  first day of an individual's benefit year.

19         (b)  With respect to a benefit year commencing on or

20  after July 1, 1997, if an individual does not have qualifying

21  wages in his or her base period to qualify for benefits, the

22  division shall designate his or her base period to be the

23  "alternative base period," which means the last 4 completed

24  calendar quarters immediately preceding the individual's

25  benefit year, except, with respect to a benefit year

26  commencing on or after July 1, 1997, if the individual also

27  does not have sufficient qualifying wages in the last 4

28  completed calendar quarters immediately preceding his or her

29  benefit year to qualify for benefits, "alternative base

30  period" means the last 3 completed calendar quarters

31  immediately preceding his or her benefit year and, of the

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida House of Representatives - 1997                HB 1617

    566-118-97






  1  calendar quarter in which the benefit year commences, the

  2  portion of the quarter which occurs before the beginning of

  3  the benefit year.  If information regarding wages for the

  4  calendar quarter or quarters immediately preceding the benefit

  5  year is not available to the division from the regular

  6  quarterly reports of wage information and the division is not

  7  able to obtain the information using other means pursuant to

  8  state or federal law, the division may base the determination

  9  of eligibility for benefits on the affidavit of the individual

10  with respect to wages for that calendar quarter.  The

11  individual shall furnish payroll documentation, if available,

12  in support of the affidavit.  A determination of benefits

13  based on an alternative base period shall be adjusted when the

14  quarterly report of wage information from the employer is

15  received if that information causes a change in the

16  determination. If the division receives information from the

17  employer that causes a revised monetary determination under

18  this paragraph, benefits received prior to that revision may

19  not constitute an overpayment of benefits unless the claimant

20  knowingly misrepresented information requested by the

21  division.

22         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 1997.

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25                          HOUSE SUMMARY

26
      Provides for determinations of alternate base periods for
27    persons who do not have qualifying wages in a base period
      to qualify for benefits. See bill for details.
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