HBA-LJP H.B. 1931 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1931 By: Elkins Economic Development 4/29/2001 Committee Report (Amended) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Under current law, an individual is disqualified for unemployment benefits if the individual failed without good cause to apply for available, suitable work when directed to do so by the Texas Workforce Commission. Current law does not specify any actions that the individual must complete to fulfill the suitable work requirement. House Bill 1931 requires an individual to search for work and provides guidelines that the individual must follow to document the search. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking authority is expressly delegated to the Texas Workforce Commission in SECTION 1 (Section 207.047, Labor Code) of this bill. ANALYSIS House Bill 1931 amends the Labor Code to provide that if an individual on unemployment benefits failed without good cause to make at least five job contacts in each week for which benefits are claimed, then the individual is disqualified for unemployment benefits. The bill authorizes the Texas Workforce Commission (commission) to direct the individual to maintain, for at least two years, records of the individual's search for employment, including a list and documentation of each job contact made during each week for which benefits are claimed. The bill requires the commission to specify, by rule, the form for the list of job contacts, define the type of documents that serve as documentation of a job contact, and define the nature of the job contacts that satisfy the job contact requirement. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001. EXPLANATION OF AMENDMENTS Committee Amendment No. 1 removes the authorization of the Texas Workforce Commission (commission) to direct an individual receiving unemployment benefits to maintain a record of the individual's search for employment. The amendment removes the requirement that the commission adopt rules to specify forms for the list of job contacts, define the types of documents that serve as documentation of the job contact, and define the nature of the job contacts that satisfy the required job contacts to retain unemployment benefits. The amendment also decreases, from five to three, the minimum number of job contacts in each week an individual must make for the individual not to be disqualified from unemployment benefits.