Act No. 51 Page 1 of 2
2021
This act summary is provided for the convenience of the public and members of the General
Assembly. It is intended to provide a general summary of the act and may not be
exhaustive. It has been prepared by the staff of the Office of Legislative Counsel without
input from members of the General Assembly. It is not intended to aid in the interpretation
of legislation or to serve as a source of legislative intent.
Act No. 51 (S.62). Commerce and trade; economic development; labor;
unemployment insurance
An act relating to employee incentives, technical education, and
unemployment insurance
This act does the following:
• directs the Agency of Commerce and Community Development to
design and implement a program to provide incentives to new
relocating employees;
• allocates funds appropriated in the Big Bill for career and technical
education;
• expands the instances in which employers may be entitled to
unemployment insurance experience rating relief in 2020 and provides
experience rating relief for unemployment insurance benefits paid
during 2021 for COVID-19-related separations from employment;
• extends the repeal date for certain COVID-19-related unemployment
insurance laws that were enacted in 2020;
• temporarily suspends certain requirements to trigger an extended
unemployment insurance benefit period;
• reduces unemployment insurance tax rates by removing the
unemployment insurance benefits paid during 2020 from consideration
during the annual determination of the unemployment insurance tax
schedule;
• provides that the maximum weekly unemployment insurance benefit
cannot decrease;
• adds a temporary supplemental unemployment insurance benefit of
$25.00 per week;
• requires the Commissioner of Labor to include an accounting of the
amount of supplemental unemployment insurance benefits paid in the
annual report on the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund;
• requires the Commissioner of Labor to notify the Governor and the
General Assembly if the balance of the Unemployment Insurance Trust
Fund drops below $180,000,000.00;
• requires the State Auditor to contract with a consultant to examine and
identify opportunities for improvement in Vermont’s efforts to detect
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Act No. 51 Page 2 of 2
2021
and prevent unemployment insurance fraud and unemployment
insurance overpayments;
• creates a legislative study committee to examine the solvency of the
Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund; the adequacy of unemployment
insurance benefits; instances when it may be appropriate for the
Commissioner of Labor to waive or reduce certain penalties; and
potential statutory changes to mitigate certain adverse impacts on
nonprofit employers who reimburse the unemployment insurance
system for benefits paid to their former employees; and
• amends the due dates for two reports on the enforcement of laws
against employee misclassification.
Multiple effective dates, beginning on March 31, 2021
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Statutes affected:
As Passed by Both House and Senate -- Official: 21-1325, 21-1326, 21-1338(f), 21-1338, 21-1338(e), 21-1309, 3-2222d
As Passed by Both House and Senate -- Unofficial: 21-1325, 21-1326, 21-1338(f), 21-1338, 21-1338(e), 21-1309, 3-2222d
As Enacted: 21-1325, 21-1326, 21-1338(f), 21-1338, 21-1338(e), 21-1309, 3-2222d