Senate Bill sb1220
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Florida Senate - 2002 SB 1220
By Senators Wasserman Schultz and Jones
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1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to economic recovery; providing
3 legislative intent; providing criteria,
4 requirements, and limitations on certain
5 training; providing for power and authority of
6 the Agency for Workforce Innovation; providing
7 requirements for expenditure of certain funds;
8 amending s. 443.036, F.S.; providing a
9 definition and an application of an alternative
10 base period; providing requirements and
11 limitations; specifying, for a limited time
12 period, alternative time periods and amounts of
13 certain payments, an increase in weekly benefit
14 amounts, and waiver of a waiting period for
15 certain individuals for unemployment
16 compensation purposes; providing an effective
17 date.
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19 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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21 Section 1. The Legislature finds that businesses and
22 individuals in this state are experiencing significant
23 economic hardship and that revenues critical to the delivery
24 of vital public services are jeopardized. Therefore, it is the
25 intent of the Legislature to establish policies designed to
26 stimulate economic activity in this state and promote the
27 economic security of the residents of this state. The need to
28 retain and create jobs in this state in the current economic
29 environment is great. A significant investment of state funds
30 in reemployment and retraining programs is essential to
31 economic recovery in this state. The state should invest in
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Florida Senate - 2002 SB 1220
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1 economic-recovery training programs that deliver a high
2 expectation of continued employment after a reasonably short
3 period of training is completed. Economic-recovery training
4 funds should be expended on programs that enhance the skills
5 of residents of this state who are employed by businesses
6 based in this state.
7 Section 2. Economic-recovery training shall be awarded
8 to providers of training services on a competitive-bid basis
9 and shall receive continued support on a performance-based
10 schedule not to exceed 12 months. Training agreements may not
11 be continued with employers who demonstrate a pattern of
12 failing to provide participants with employment. The Agency
13 for Workforce Innovation and its controlling board, Workforce
14 Florida, Inc., shall have power and authority over the use of
15 economic-recovery training funds pursuant to this act and such
16 funds shall be expended in accordance with the provisions of
17 chapter 445, Florida Statutes.
18 Section 3. Subsection (7) of section 443.036, Florida
19 Statutes, is amended to read:
20 443.036 Definitions.--As used in this chapter, unless
21 the context clearly requires otherwise:
22 (7) BASE PERIOD.--
23 (a) "Base period" means the first four of the last
24 five completed calendar quarters immediately preceding the
25 first day of an individual's benefit year.
26 (b) With respect to a benefit year commencing after
27 September 1, 2001, if an individual is not monetarily eligible
28 in his or her base period to qualify for benefits, the
29 division must designate his or her base period to be the
30 alternative base period. As used in this paragraph, the term
31 "alternative base period" means the last four completed
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Florida Senate - 2002 SB 1220
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1 calendar quarters immediately preceding the individual's
2 benefit year. Wages used in a base period to establish a
3 monetarily eligible benefit year may not be applied to
4 establish monetary eligibility in any succeeding benefit year.
5 If information regarding wages for the calendar quarter or
6 quarters immediately preceding the benefit year is not
7 available to the division from the regular quarterly reports
8 of wage information, the division shall request such
9 information from the employer. Employers shall have 10 days in
10 which to respond to wage requests from the division.
11 Section 4. (1) Notwithstanding section 443.091(4)(e),
12 Florida Statutes, the waiting period of 1 week shall be waived
13 for unemployed individuals eligible to receive benefits.
14 (2) Notwithstanding section 443.111(1)(b), Florida
15 Statutes, the initial payment of unemployment compensation
16 benefits shall be for 1 week of compensation and subsequent
17 compensation shall occur biweekly.
18 (3) Notwithstanding section 443.111(3), Florida
19 Statutes, the weekly benefit amount determined under section
20 443.111(3), Florida Statutes, for any individual shall be
21 increased by the greater of $25 or 15 percent.
22 (4) This section expires June 30, 2004.
23 Section 5. This act shall take effect upon becoming a
24 law.
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Florida Senate - 2002 SB 1220
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2 LEGISLATIVE SUMMARY
3 Provides legislative intent for economic-recovery
measures. Provides criteria, requirements, and
4 limitations for economic-recovery training. Provides for
use of an alternative base period whenever an individual
5 is not monetarily eligible in a base period to receive
unemployment compensation benefits. Specifies, for 2.5
6 years, alternative time periods and amounts of payments
of unemployment compensation, an increase in weekly
7 benefit amounts for unemployment compensation purposes,
and a waiver of a waiting period for unemployed
8 individuals eligible to receive benefits. (See bill for
details.)
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