This bill amends various sections of Alaska's unemployment compensation laws to improve the efficiency and fairness of benefit payments. Key provisions include a requirement that the Department of Labor cannot delay approved weekly benefit payments due to holidays and must incur a penalty of 10% of the benefit for each day a payment is late. Additionally, if a claimant's disqualification is overturned on appeal, benefits must be paid within 24 hours, with the same penalty for late payments. The bill also introduces a contingency plan for call center overloads, ensuring that workers are not disqualified for failing to provide information if call volumes exceed capacity. Other amendments adjust weekly benefit amounts based on inflation, increase the dependent allowance from $24 to $35 per week, and raise the maximum total allowance from $72 to $105.

Further changes include the removal of the phrase "OR WAITING-WEEK CREDIT" from specific sections, ensuring that individuals in approved training programs under the Trade Act of 1974 and the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 are not denied benefits even if they are not available for work or refuse work during their training. The bill clarifies that an insured worker can be disqualified from benefits due to a labor dispute at their place of employment, and it updates the definition of "establishment" to include separate departments commonly conducted as separate businesses. Additionally, the bill repeals certain sections and updates the definition of "claimant" to remove references to "A CERTIFICATION FOR WAITING-WEEK CREDIT." The bill is set to take effect on July 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
HB0192A, AM HB 192, introduced 04/14/2025: 23.20.340, 23.20.360, 23.20.362, 23.20.375, 23.20.378, 23.20.387, 23.20.505, 23.20.350, 23.20.135, 23.20.379, 23.20.382, 23.20.383, 23.20.520