1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to unemployment insurance; providing additional unemployment 
1.3 	benefits for certain poultry workers.
1.4 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.5 	Section 1. POULTRY WORKER EXTRA UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS.
 1.6 		Subdivision 1.Extra benefits; availability. Extra unemployment benefits are 
1.7 	available to an applicant if the applicant was laid off by (1) a commercial poultry producer 
1.8 	as a result of the confirmed presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the commercial 
1.9 	poultry producer's flock, or (2) a commercial poultry processor as a result of the confirmed 
1.10 	presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the flock of its poultry supplier.
1.11 		Subd. 2.Payment from fund. Extra unemployment benefits are payable from 
1.12 	the unemployment insurance trust fund.
1.13 		Subd. 3.Eligibility conditions. An applicant is eligible to receive extra 
1.14 	unemployment benefits under this section for any week through December 31, 2016, 
1.15 	following the effective date of the applicant's benefit account of regular unemployment 
1.16 	benefits, as a result of a layoff described under subdivision 1, if:
1.17 	(1) a majority of the applicant's wage credits were with a commercial poultry 
1.18 	producer described in subdivision 1;
1.19 	(2) the applicant meets the eligibility requirements of Minnesota Statutes, section 
1.20 	268.085;
1.21 	(3) the applicant is not subject to a disqualification under Minnesota Statutes, section 
1.22 	268.095; and
2.1 	(4) the applicant is not entitled to regular unemployment benefits and the applicant 
2.2 	is not entitled to receive unemployment benefits under any other state or federal law 
2.3 	for that week.
2.4 		Subd. 4.Weekly amount of extra benefits. The weekly extra unemployment 
2.5 	benefits amount available to an applicant is the same as the applicant's weekly regular 
2.6 	unemployment benefit amount on the benefit account established as a result of a layoff 
2.7 	under subdivision 1.
2.8 		Subd. 5.Maximum amount of extra unemployment benefits. (a) The maximum 
2.9 	amount of extra unemployment benefits available is equal to 13 weeks at the applicant's 
2.10 	weekly extra unemployment benefits amount.
2.11 	(b) If an applicant qualifies for a new regular benefit account under Minnesota 
2.12 	Statutes, section 268.07, at any time after exhausting regular unemployment benefits 
2.13 	as a result of the layoff under subdivision 1, the applicant must apply for and exhaust 
2.14 	entitlement to those new regular unemployment benefits. 
2.15 		Subd. 6.Program expiration. This extra unemployment benefit program expires 
2.16 	on December 31, 2016. No extra unemployment benefits may be paid for any week after 
2.17 	the expiration of this program.