Florida Senate - 2021 SB 1906
By Senator Brodeur
9-01786A-21 20211906__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to reemployment assistance; amending
3 s. 443.111, F.S.; increasing the weekly benefit
4 amounts an individual may receive; increasing the cap
5 on the total benefit amount an individual is entitled
6 to receive during a benefit year; reenacting ss.
7 443.041(2)(b) and 443.1116(6) and (8)(a), F.S.,
8 relating to fees and short-time compensation,
9 respectively, to incorporate the amendments made to s.
10 443.111, F.S., in references thereto; providing an
11 effective date.
12
13 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
14
15 Section 1. Subsection (3) and paragraph (b) of subsection
16 (5) of section 443.111, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
17 443.111 Payment of benefits.—
18 (3) WEEKLY BENEFIT AMOUNT.—An individual’s “weekly benefit
19 amount” is an amount equal to one twenty-sixth of the total
20 wages for insured work paid during that quarter of the base
21 period in which the total wages paid were the highest, but not
22 less than $100 $32 or more than $375 $275. The weekly benefit
23 amount, if not a multiple of $1, is rounded downward to the
24 nearest full dollar amount. The maximum weekly benefit amount in
25 effect at the time the claimant establishes an individual weekly
26 benefit amount is the maximum benefit amount applicable
27 throughout the claimant’s benefit year.
28 (5) DURATION OF BENEFITS.—
29 (b) Each otherwise eligible individual is entitled during
30 any benefit year to a total amount of benefits equal to 25
31 percent of the total wages in his or her base period, not to
32 exceed $8,625 $6,325 or the product arrived at by multiplying
33 the weekly benefit amount with the number of weeks determined in
34 paragraph (c), whichever is less. However, the total amount of
35 benefits, if not a multiple of $1, is rounded downward to the
36 nearest full dollar amount. These benefits are payable at a
37 weekly rate no greater than the weekly benefit amount.
38 Section 2. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment
39 made by this act to section 443.111, Florida Statutes, in a
40 reference thereto, paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of section
41 443.041, Florida Statutes, is reenacted to read:
42 443.041 Waiver of rights; fees; privileged communications.—
43 (2) FEES.—
44 (b) An attorney at law representing a claimant for benefits
45 in any district court of appeal of this state or in the Supreme
46 Court of Florida is entitled to counsel fees payable by the
47 department as set by the court if the petition for review or
48 appeal is initiated by the claimant and results in a decision
49 awarding more benefits than provided in the decision from which
50 appeal was taken. The amount of the fee may not exceed 50
51 percent of the total amount of regular benefits permitted under
52 s. 443.111(5)(b) during the benefit year.
53 Section 3. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment
54 made by this act to section 443.111, Florida Statutes, in a
55 reference thereto, subsection (6) and paragraph (a) of
56 subsection (8) of section 443.1116, Florida Statutes, is
57 reenacted to read:
58 443.1116 Short-time compensation.—
59 (6) WEEKLY SHORT-TIME COMPENSATION BENEFIT AMOUNT.—The
60 weekly short-time compensation benefit amount payable to an
61 individual is equal to the product of her or his weekly benefit
62 amount as provided in s. 443.111(3) and the ratio of the number
63 of normal weekly hours of work for which the employer would not
64 compensate the individual to the individual’s normal weekly
65 hours of work. The benefit amount, if not a multiple of $1, is
66 rounded downward to the next lower multiple of $1.
67 (8) EFFECT OF SHORT-TIME COMPENSATION BENEFITS RELATING TO
68 THE PAYMENT OF REGULAR AND EXTENDED BENEFITS.—
69 (a) The short-time compensation benefits paid to an
70 individual shall be deducted from the total benefit amount
71 established for that individual in s. 443.111(5).
72 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2021.