81R20725 PB-F
 
  By: Deshotel, Burnam, Farrar, et al. H.B. No. 2623
 
  Substitute the following for H.B. No. 2623:
 
  By:  Giddings C.S.H.B. No. 2623
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to unemployment compensation modernization.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Subchapter B, Chapter 201, Labor Code, is
  amended by adding Section 201.013 to read as follows:
         Sec. 201.013.  DEFINITION OF BASE PERIOD; ALTERNATE BASE
  PERIODS. (a) For purposes of this subtitle and subject to this
  section, an individual's base period is the four consecutive
  completed calendar quarters, prescribed by the commission, in the
  five consecutive completed calendar quarters preceding the first
  day of an individual's benefit year.
         (b)  For an individual precluded because of a medically
  verifiable illness or injury from working during a major part of a
  calendar quarter of the period that would otherwise be the
  individual's base period under Subsection (a), the base period is
  the first four calendar quarters of the five consecutive calendar
  quarters preceding the calendar quarter in which the illness began
  or the injury occurred if the individual files an initial claim for
  benefits not later than 24 months after the date on which the
  individual's illness or injury began or occurred.
         (c)  For an individual who does not have sufficient benefit
  wage credits to qualify for benefits under the computation of the
  base period as provided by Subsection (a) or (b), the base period is
  the four most recently completed calendar quarters preceding the
  first day of the individual's benefit year.
         SECTION 2.  Sections 204.022(a), (c), and (d), Labor Code,
  are amended to read as follows:
         (a)  Benefits computed on benefit wage credits of an employee
  or former employee may not be charged to the account of an employer
  if the employee's last separation from the employer's employment
  before the employee's benefit year:
               (1)  was required by a federal statute;
               (2)  was required by a statute of this state or an
  ordinance of a municipality of this state;
               (3)  would have disqualified the employee under Section
  207.044, 207.045, 207.051, or 207.053 if the employment had been
  the employee's last work;
               (4)  imposes a disqualification under Section 207.044,
  207.045, 207.051, or 207.053;
               (5)  was caused by a medically verifiable illness of
  the employee [or the employee's minor child];
               (6)  was based on a natural disaster that results in a
  disaster declaration by the president of the United States under
  the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act
  (42 U.S.C. Section 5121 et seq.), if the employee would have been
  entitled to unemployment assistance benefits under Section 410 of
  that act (42 U.S.C. Section 5177) had the employee not received
  state unemployment compensation benefits;
               (7)  was caused by a natural disaster, fire, flood, or
  explosion that causes employees to be separated from one employer's
  employment;
               (8)  was based on a disaster that results in a disaster
  declaration by the governor under Section 418.014, Government Code;
               (9)  resulted from the employee's resigning from
  partial employment to accept other employment that the employee
  reasonably believed would increase the employee's weekly wage;
               (10)  was caused by the employer being called to active
  military service in any branch of the United States armed forces on
  or after January 1, 2003;
               (11)  resulted from the employee leaving the employee's
  workplace to protect the employee from [family violence or]
  stalking as evidenced by:
                     (A)  an active or recently issued protective order
  documenting [family violence against, or] the stalking of[,] the
  employee or the potential for [family violence against, or] the
  stalking of[,] the employee; or
                     (B)  a police record documenting [family violence
  against, or] the stalking of[,] the employee; [or
                     [(C)     a physician's statement or other medical
  documentation that describes the family violence against the
  employee that:
                           [(i)     is recorded in any form or medium that
  identifies the employee as the patient; and
                           [(ii)     relates to the history, diagnosis,
  treatment, or prognosis of the patient];
               (12)  resulted from the employee leaving the employee's
  workplace to protect the employee from family violence, as
  evidenced by reasonable and confidential documentation, that
  causes the employee reasonably to believe that the employee's
  continued employment would jeopardize the safety of the employee or
  of any member of the employee's immediate family;
               (13)  resulted from a move from the area of the
  employee's employment that:
                     (A)  was made with the employee's spouse [who is a
  member of the armed forces of the United States];
                     (B)  is to a location from which it is impractical
  for the individual to commute; and
                     (C)  is due to a change in the location of the
  spouse's employment [(B)     resulted from the spouse's permanent
  change of station of longer than 120 days or a tour of duty of longer
  than one year];
               (14) [(13)]  was caused by the employee being unable to
  perform the work as a result of a disability for which the employee
  is receiving disability insurance benefits under 42 U.S.C. Section
  423; or
               (15) [(14)]  resulted from the employee leaving the
  employee's workplace because of the illness or disability of a
  member of the employee's immediate family [to care for the
  employee's terminally ill spouse as evidenced by a physician's
  statement or other medical documentation, but only if no
  reasonable, alternative care was available].
         (c)  Except as provided by law, evidence regarding an
  employee described by Subsection (a)(11) or (12) may not be
  disclosed to any person without the consent of the employee.
         (d)  For purposes of Subsections [Subsection] (a)(11), (12),
  and (15):
               (1)  "Disability" means a verified disability that
  necessitates the care of an ill person by an employee for a period
  longer than the employer is willing to grant leave to the employee.
  The term includes a mental or physical disability, a permanent or
  temporary disability, and a partial or total disability.
               (2)  "Family violence" has the meaning assigned by
  Section 71.004, Family Code.
               (3)  "Illness" means a verified illness that
  necessitates the care of an ill person by the employee for a period
  longer than the employer is willing to grant leave to the employee.
               (4)  "Member of the employee's immediate family" means
  a spouse, a parent, or a minor child under the age of 18.
               (5)  "Reasonable documentation" includes:
                     (A)  a statement supporting recent family
  violence from a qualified professional from whom the employee has
  sought assistance, including a counselor, shelter worker, member of
  the clergy, attorney, or health care worker;
                     (B)  an active or recently issued protective order
  documenting:
                           (i)  family violence against the employee or
  any member of the employee's immediate family; or
                           (ii)  the potential for family violence
  against the employee or any member of the employee's immediate
  family; or
                     (C)  a police record documenting family violence
  against the employee or any member of the employee's immediate
  family.
               (6) [(2)]  "Stalking" means conduct described by
  Section 42.072, Penal Code.
         SECTION 3.  Section 207.021, Labor Code, is amended by
  adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:
         (d)  An individual is available for work for purposes of
  Subsection (a)(4) even if the individual is seeking and available
  only for part-time work. For purposes of this subsection,
  "part-time work" means employment of at least 20 hours per week.
         SECTION 4.  Sections 207.045(c) and (d), Labor Code, are
  amended to read as follows:
         (c)  Notwithstanding any other provision of
  [Disqualification for benefits under] this section, [for] an
  individual who left work to accompany [move with] the individual's
  spouse is not disqualified for benefits if the move is:
               (1)  to a location from which it is impractical for the
  individual to commute; and
               (2)  due to a change in the location of the spouse's
  employment [from the area where the individual worked continues for
  not less than six benefit periods and not more than 25 benefit
  periods following the filing of a valid claim as determined by the
  commission according to the circumstances of the case].
         (d)  Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, an
  individual who is available to work may not be disqualified for
  benefits because the individual left work because of:
               (1)  a medically verified illness of the individual [or
  the individual's minor child];
               (2)  injury;
               (3)  disability;
               (4)  pregnancy; or
               (5)  an involuntary separation as described by Section
  207.046 [; or
               [(6)     a move from the area of the individual's
  employment that:
                     [(A)     was made with the individual's spouse who is
  a member of the armed forces of the United States; and
                     [(B)     resulted from the spouse's permanent change
  of station of longer than 120 days or a tour of duty of longer than
  one year].
         SECTION 5.  Section 207.046, Labor Code, is amended to read
  as follows:
         Sec. 207.046.  INVOLUNTARY SEPARATION.  (a)  An individual
  is not disqualified for benefits under this subchapter if:
               (1)  the work-related reason for the individual's
  separation from employment was urgent, compelling, and necessary so
  as to make the separation involuntary;
               (2)  the individual leaves the workplace to protect the
  individual from [family violence or] stalking as evidenced by:
                     (A)  an active or recently issued protective order
  documenting [family violence against, or] the stalking of[,] the
  employee or the potential for [family violence against, or] the
  stalking of[,] the employee; or
                     (B)  a police record documenting [family violence
  against, or] the stalking of[,] the employee; [or
                     [(C)     a physician's statement or other medical
  documentation that describes the family violence against the
  employee that:
                           [(i)     is recorded in any form or medium that
  identifies the employee as the patient; and
                           [(ii)     relates to the history, diagnosis,
  treatment, or prognosis of the patient; or]
               (3)  the individual's separation from employment was
  due to the illness or disability of a member of the individual's
  immediate family; or
               (4)  the individual's separation from employment was
  due to family violence, verified by reasonable and confidential
  documentation, that causes the individual reasonably to believe
  that the individual's continued employment would jeopardize the
  safety of the individual or of any member of the individual's
  immediate family [individual leaves the workplace to care for the
  individual's terminally ill spouse as evidenced by a physician's
  statement or other medical documentation, but only if no
  reasonable, alternative care was available].
         (b)  Except as provided by law, evidence regarding an
  employee described by Subsection (a)(2) or (4) may not be disclosed
  to any person without the consent of the employee.
         (c)  In this section, "disability," "family violence,"
  "illness," "member of the employee's immediate family,"
  "reasonable documentation," and "stalking" have the meanings
  assigned those terms by Section 204.022(d)[:
               [(1)     "Family violence" has the meaning assigned by
  Section 71.004, Family Code.
               [(2)     "Stalking" means conduct described by Section
  42.072, Penal Code].
         SECTION 6.  Section 207.047, Labor Code, is amended by
  adding Subsection (a-1) to read as follows:
         (a-1)  An individual is not disqualified for benefits under
  this section if the individual is seeking and available only for
  part-time work. For purposes of this subsection, "part-time work"
  means employment of at least 20 hours per week.
         SECTION 7.  The following laws are repealed:
               (1)  Section 201.011(1), Labor Code; and
               (2)  Section 207.045(e), Labor Code.
         SECTION 8.  This Act applies only to eligibility for
  unemployment compensation benefits based on a claim that is filed
  with the Texas Workforce Commission on or after the effective date
  of this Act. A claim filed before the effective date of this Act is
  governed by the law in effect on the date the claim was filed, and
  the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
         SECTION 9.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
  a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
  provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
  Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
  Act takes effect September 1, 2009.