This bill establishes an additional unemployment benefits program specifically for employees in the iron ore mining industry who are laid off due to lack of work between March 15, 2025, and June 16, 2025. Eligible applicants must have been laid off from employers who have reduced their workforce by 40% or more, or from related explosive manufacturing employers affected by the mining industry's operational changes. The program allows for additional unemployment benefits to be available until June 19, 2026, provided that applicants meet certain eligibility requirements, including having established a benefit account with a significant portion of wage credits from qualifying employers and having exhausted regular unemployment benefits.

The bill outlines the weekly benefit amount for additional unemployment benefits, which will match the regular unemployment benefit amount, and caps the total benefits at 26 weeks. It also includes provisions for applicants who qualify for a new regular benefit account after exhausting their initial benefits, detailing how they should proceed based on the benefit amounts of the new account compared to the additional benefits. Notably, individuals who qualify for federal Trade Readjustment Allowance benefits are excluded from receiving these additional unemployment benefits. The provisions of this bill are effective retroactively from March 15, 2025.