UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFIT ELIGIBILITY CONDITIONS Present law requires an unemployed claimant to be eligible to receive benefits with respect to any week only if the chief administrative officer of the division of employment security of the department of labor and workforce development ("administrator") finds that certain conditions are met, including the following:  The claimant has registered for work, and thereafter continued to report, at an employment office as prescribed by the administrator, except that the administrator may waive or alter either or both of these requirements as to individuals attached to regular jobs and as to such other types of cases or situations with respect to which the administrator finds that compliance with the requirements would be oppressive, or would be inconsistent with the unemployment law of this state as long as such prescription, waiver, or alteration does not conflict with the law relative to the payment of benefits.  The claimant is able to work, available for work, and making a reasonable effort to secure work, which means engaging in at least four work search activities per week. The administrator shall verify whether claimants are complying with the requirement of at least four work search activities per week and disqualify any claimant receiving benefits who the administrator finds has provided false work search information. A claimant is not considered ineligible in any week of unemployment for failure to comply with this requirement if the failure is due to an illness or disability that occurred after the claimant has registered for work, and no work that would have been considered suitable at the time of the claimant's initial registration has been offered after the beginning of the illness or disability. The administrator may, however, in the administrator's discretion, require the claimant to obtain and submit a certificate by a duly licensed physician as to the illness or disability with respect to each week that the illness or disability exists.  The claimant has been unemployed for a waiting period of one week. Benefits are payable to a claimant for the waiting period if the claimant has made a claim for benefits and is determined to be eligible and certified for benefits in the waiting period and in each of the three consecutive weeks immediately following the waiting period. Upon declaration of an emergency by the governor, this bill provides that the specific conditions described above are suspended to the extent necessary to allow the commissioner of labor and workforce development the discretion to amend such reporting requirements upon receiving appropriate federal guidance. Such a suspension is limited to eligible claimants who reside or work in counties for which this state has requested a major disaster declaration. AUTHORITY GRANTED TO TEMA The agency is responsible for maintaining a comprehensive statewide program of emergency management. The agency is responsible for coordination with efforts of the federal government with other departments and agencies of state government, county governments, municipal governments and school boards, and private agencies that have a role in emergency management. TEMA's duties are provided in law. This bill adds to such duties the authority to assist a political subdivision or local emergency management agency with recovery from disasters and emergencies on public property at the request of the political subdivision or agency.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 50-7-302(a), 50-7-302, 58-2-106(b), 58-2-106