SF 804

as introduced - 85th Legislature (2007 - 2008) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

A bill for an act
relating to unemployment insurance; providing extra unemployment benefits for
certain workers laid off from the Ainsworth Lumber Company.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1. new text begin LUMBER COMPANY EXTRA BENEFITS.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Extra benefits; availability. new text end

new text begin Extra unemployment benefits are
available to an applicant if the applicant was permanently laid off due to lack of work
after August 1, 2006, from the Ainsworth Lumber Company plants in Bemidji, Cook,
and Grand Rapids.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Payment from fund; effect on employer. new text end

new text begin Extra unemployment benefits
are payable from the unemployment insurance trust fund. Extra unemployment benefits
paid under this section will be used in computing the experience rating of Ainsworth
Lumber Company under Minnesota Statutes, section 268.047.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Eligibility conditions. new text end

new text begin An applicant is eligible to receive extra
unemployment benefits under this section for any week through December 31, 2008,
following the effective date of the applicant's benefit account of regular unemployment
benefits, as a result of a layoff described under subdivision 1, if:
new text end

new text begin (1) a majority of the applicant's wage credits were with Ainsworth Lumber Company;
new text end

new text begin (2) the applicant meets the eligibility requirements of Minnesota Statutes, section
268.085;
new text end

new text begin (3) the applicant is not subject to a disqualification under Minnesota Statutes, section
268.095;
new text end

new text begin (4) the applicant is not entitled to regular unemployment benefits and the applicant
is not entitled to receive unemployment benefits under any other state or federal law
for that week; and
new text end

new text begin (5) the applicant is enrolled in, or has within the last two weeks successfully
completed, a program that qualifies as reemployment assistance training under Minnesota
Statutes, section 268.035, subdivision 21a, except that an applicant whose training is
scheduled to begin in more than 30 days may be considered to be in training if: (i) the
applicant's chosen training program does not offer an available start date within 30 days;
(ii) the applicant is scheduled to begin training on the earliest available start date for
the chosen training program; and (iii) the applicant is scheduled to begin training in no
more than 60 days.
new text end

new text begin If an applicant qualifies for a new regular benefit account at any time after exhausting
regular unemployment benefits as a result of the layoff under subdivision 1, the applicant
must apply for and exhaust entitlement to those new regular unemployment benefits.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 4. new text end

new text begin Weekly amount of extra benefits. new text end

new text begin The weekly extra unemployment
benefits amount available to an applicant is the same as the applicant's weekly regular
unemployment benefit amount on the benefit account established as a result of a layoff
under subdivision 1.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 5. new text end

new text begin Maximum amount of extra unemployment benefits. new text end

new text begin The maximum
amount of extra unemployment benefits available is equal to the maximum amount of
regular unemployment benefits available to the applicant up to 26 times the applicant's
weekly extra unemployment benefits amount.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 6. new text end

new text begin Program expiration. new text end

new text begin This extra unemployment benefit program expires
on December 31, 2008. No extra unemployment benefits shall be paid for any week after
the expiration of this program.
new text end

Sec. 2. new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE.
new text end

new text begin Section 1 is effective the day following final enactment and is retroactive from
August 1, 2006.
new text end