1-1           By:  Nixon                                       S.B. No. 215

 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed January 15, 1997; January 16, 1997,

 1-3     read first time and referred to Committee on Economic Development;

 1-4     March 4, 1997, reported adversely, with favorable Committee

 1-5     Substitute by the following vote:  Yeas 8, Nays 0; March 4, 1997,

 1-6     sent to printer.)

 1-7     COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 215                By:  Shapleigh

 1-8                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-9                                   AN ACT

1-10     relating to notice and protest rights of certain reimbursing

1-11     employers under the unemployment compensation system.

1-12           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-13           SECTION 1.  Section 201.011, Labor Code is amended by adding

1-14     a new Subdivision (16) and renumbering subsequent subdivisions to

1-15     read as follows:

1-16                 (16)  "Person for whom the claimant last worked" means

1-17     the last individual or organization for whom the claimant worked

1-18     for at least six weeks or an entity  that provides insured

1-19     employment under the law of this state, another state, or the

1-20     United States for whom the claimant last worked prior to the

1-21     initial claim.

1-22                 (17) [(16)]  "Reimbursement" means a payment made in

1-23     accordance with Chapter 205.

1-24                 (18) [(17)]  "Reimbursing employer" means an employer

1-25     making payments in accordance with Chapter 205.

1-26                 (19) [(18)]  "State" means a state of the United

1-27     States, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, or the Virgin

1-28     Islands.

1-29                 (20) [(19)]  "Taxed employer" means an employer who

1-30     pays a contribution under this subtitle.

1-31                 (21) [(20)]  "Temporary employee" means an individual

1-32     employed by a temporary help firm for the purpose of being assigned

1-33     to work for the clients of a temporary help firm.

1-34                 (22) [(21)]  "Temporary help firm" means a person who

1-35     employs individuals for the purpose of assigning those individuals

1-36     to work for the clients of the temporary help firm to support or

1-37     supplement a client's work force during employee absences,

1-38     temporary skill shortages, seasonal work loads, special assignments

1-39     and projects, and other similar work situations.

1-40                 (23) [(22)]  "United States" includes, in a geographic

1-41     context, each state.

1-42                 (24) [(23)]  "Valid claim" means a claim filed by an

1-43     unemployed individual who has received the wages necessary to

1-44     qualify for benefits.

1-45                 (25) [(24)]  "Warrant" means a written payment order or

1-46     an electronic payment order that is a part of an electronic fund

1-47     transfer system approved by the commission.

1-48                 (26) [(25)]  "Week" means seven consecutive calendar

1-49     days as prescribed by the commission.

1-50           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997, and

1-51     applies only to a claim for unemployment compensation benefits that

1-52     is filed with the Texas Workforce Commission on or after that date.

1-53     A claim filed before that date is governed by the law in effect on

1-54     the date that the claim was filed, and the former law is continued

1-55     in effect for that purpose.

1-56           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-57     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-58     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-59     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-60     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

1-61                                  * * * * *