The bill H.175 aims to clarify the eligibility of adjunct faculty for unemployment insurance benefits between academic years. It specifies that adjunct or contingent faculty members will be eligible for these benefits if they do not have a reasonable assurance of future employment with their educational institution. The bill amends existing law to define "reasonable assurance" and outlines the conditions under which adjunct faculty can be denied benefits, including the requirement for a written, oral, or implied offer of employment for the following academic year, made by someone with the authority to do so, and stipulations regarding the economic conditions of the offered employment.

Key insertions in the bill include detailed criteria for what constitutes "reasonable assurance," such as the requirement that the offered employment must be in the same capacity as the current position and that the economic conditions should not be significantly less favorable. Additionally, the bill states that it will take effect on July 1, 2025. These changes aim to provide clearer guidelines for adjunct faculty regarding their rights to unemployment benefits, ensuring they are not unfairly denied support during periods of unemployment between academic terms.

Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 21-1343