BILL ANALYSIS
Defense Affairs & State-Federal Relations
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Current law provides that if an employee voluntarily quits their job to move with their spouse, they are disqualified from unemployment insurance benefits for a period of 6 to 25 weeks. Certain types of employees are exempted from this disqualification. Currently, military spouses who move as a result of a mandatory change of duty station are not included in that list of exceptions. Providing these spouses with unemployment insurance during this difficult time, is one way to recognize the burdens that the transitory nature of military life has on a family and will provide additional assistance to those families who sacrifice for our country.
HB 2401 expands the list of employees who may not be disqualified from unemployment insurance benefits, to include military spouses who move as a result of their spouse’s permanent change of station or a tour of duty of over a year. This benefit is added without affecting the employers’ unemployment insurance account, by exempting them from the benefit’s chargeback system.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS
HB 2401 expands the list of employees who may not be disqualified from unemployment insurance benefits to include military spouses who move as a result of their spouse’s permanent change of station or a tour of duty of over a year.
The bill also adds the same group of military spouses to the list of employees whose unemployment insurance benefits shall not be charged to the account of the former employer.
EFFECTIVE DATE
This Act takes effect immediately if it receives the necessary vote, otherwise it takes effect September 1, 2005.