S-0860.1

SENATE BILL 5473

BySenators Saldaña and Nguyen

AN ACT Relating to making unemployment benefits accessible to persons with family responsibilities and other availability issues and making clarifying changes; amending RCW 50.20.010, 50.20.080, 50.20.100, 50.20.240, and 50.29.021; reenacting and amending RCW 50.20.050; adding new sections to chapter 50.04 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 50.20 RCW; creating new sections; repealing RCW 50.20.119 and 50.29.020; and providing an effective date.

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

Sec. 2. RCW 50.20.010 and 2006 c 13 s 10 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) An unemployed ((individual))claimant shall be eligible to receive waiting period credits or benefits with respect to any week in ((his or her))the claimant's eligibility period ((only)) if ((the commissioner finds that)):

(a) ((He or she))The claimant has registered for work at, and thereafter has continued to report at, an employment office in accordance with such regulation as the commissioner may prescribe, except that the commissioner may by regulation waive or alter either or both of the requirements of this ((subdivision))subsection as to ((individuals))claimants attached to regular jobs and as to such other types of cases or situations with respect to which the commissioner finds that the compliance with such requirements would be oppressive, or would be inconsistent with the purposes of this title;

(b) ((He or she))The claimant has filed an application for an initial determination and made a claim for waiting period credit or for benefits in accordance with the provisions of this title;

(c) ((He or she))(i) The claimant is able to work, and is available ((for))to accept suitable work ((in any trade, occupation, profession, or business for which he or she is reasonably fitted.

(ii) With respect to claims that have an effective date on or after January 4, 2004,))as defined in RCW 50.20.100.

(ii) To be available for work ((an individual))a claimant must:

(A) For at least as many hours per week as the claimant's typical workweek hours, be ready, able, and willing((, immediately)) to accept any suitable work which may be offered ((to him or her))with reasonable notice from the employer; and ((must))

(B) Be actively seeking work pursuant to customary trade practices and through other methods when so directed by the commissioner or the commissioner's agents. If a labor agreement or dispatch rules apply, customary trade practices must be in accordance with the applicable agreement or rules;

(d) ((He or she))The claimant has been unemployed for a waiting period of one week;

(e) ((He or she))The claimant participates in reemployment services if the ((individual))claimant has been referred to reemployment services pursuant to the profiling system established by the commissioner under RCW 50.20.011, unless the commissioner determines that:

(i) The ((individual))claimant has completed such services; or

(ii) There is justifiable cause for the claimant's failure to participate in such services; and

(f) ((As to weeks beginning after March 31, 1981, which))For weeks that fall within an extended benefit period as defined in RCW 50.22.010, the ((individual))claimant meets the terms and conditions of RCW 50.22.020 with respect to benefits claimed in excess of twenty-six times the ((individual's))claimant's weekly benefit amount.

(2) ((An individual's))A claimant's eligibility period for regular benefits shall be coincident to his or her established benefit year. ((An individual's))A claimant's eligibility period for additional or extended benefits shall be the periods prescribed elsewhere in this title for such benefits.

Sec. 3. RCW 50.20.050 and 2009 c 493 s 3 and 2009 c 247 s 1 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:

(1) ((With respect to claims that have an effective date on or after January 4, 2004, and for separations that occur before September 6, 2009:

(a) An individual))A claimant shall be disqualified from benefits beginning with the first day of the calendar week in which ((he or she has))the claimant left work voluntarily without good cause and thereafter for seven calendar weeks and until ((he or she has obtained))the claimant obtains bona fide work in employment covered by this title and earned wages in that employment equal to seven times his or her weekly benefit amount. Good cause reasons to leave work are limited to reasons listed in (((b) of this)) subsection (2) of this section.

The disqualification shall continue if the work obtained is a mere sham to qualify for benefits and is not bona fide work. In determining whether work is of a bona fide nature, the commissioner shall consider factors including but not limited to the following:

(((i)))(a) The duration of the work;

(((ii)))(b) The extent of direction and control by the employer over the work; and

(((iii)))(c) The level of skill required for the work in light of the ((individual's))claimant's training and experience.

(((b) An individual))(2) A claimant has good cause and is not disqualified from benefits under (((a) of this)) subsection (1) of this section only under the following circumstances:

(((i) He or she has))(a) The claimant left work to accept a bona fide offer of bona fide work as described in (((a) of this)) subsection (1) of this section;

(((ii)))(b) The separation was necessary because of the illness or disability of the claimant or the death, illness, or disability of ((a member of the claimant's immediate family if))a family member, or because care for a child or a vulnerable adult in the claimant's care is inaccessible, so long as:

(((A)))(i) The claimant ((pursued all))made reasonable ((alternatives))efforts to preserve his or her employment status by requesting a leave of absence or changes in working conditions or work schedule that would accommodate the death, illness, disability, or caregiving inaccessibility, by having promptly notified the employer of the reason for the absence, and by having promptly requested reemployment when again able to assume employment. These alternatives need not be pursued, however, when they would have been a futile act, including those instances when the futility of the act was a result of a recognized labor/management dispatch system; and

(((B)))(ii) The claimant terminated his or her employment status, and is not entitled to be reinstated to the same position or a comparable or similar position;

(((iii)))(c) The claimant: (((A)))(i) Left work to relocate for the employment of a spouse or domestic partner that is outside the existing labor market area; and (((B)))(ii) remained employed as long as was reasonable prior to the move;

(((iv)))(d) The separation was necessary to protect the claimant or the claimant's immediate family members from domestic violence, as defined in RCW 26.50.010, or stalking, as defined in RCW 9A.46.110;

(((v)))(e) The ((individual's))claimant's usual compensation was reduced by twenty-five percent or more;

(((vi)))(f) The ((individual's))claimant's usual hours were reduced by twenty-five percent or more;

(((vii)))(g) The ((individual's))claimant's worksite changed, such change caused a material increase in distance or difficulty of travel, and, after the change, the commute was greater than is customary for workers in the ((individual's))claimant's job classification and labor market;

(((viii)))(h) The ((individual's))claimant's worksite safety deteriorated, the ((individual))claimant reported such safety deterioration to the employer, and the employer failed to correct the hazards within a reasonable period of time;

(((ix)))(i) The ((individual))claimant left work because of illegal activities in the ((individual's))claimant's worksite, the ((individual))claimant reported such activities to the employer, and the employer failed to end such activities within a reasonable period of time;

(((x)))(j) The ((individual's))claimant's usual work was changed to work that violates the ((individual's))claimant's religious convictions or sincere moral beliefs; ((or

(xi)))(k) The ((individual))claimant left work to enter an apprenticeship program approved by the Washington state apprenticeship training council. Benefits are payable beginning Sunday of the week prior to the week in which the ((individual))claimant begins active participation in the apprenticeship program; or

(l) The claimant's usual work shifts were altered so as to make care for a child or a vulnerable adult in the claimant's care inaccessible.

(3) Notwithstanding ((subsection))subsections (1) and (2) of this section, ((for separations occurring on or after July 26, 2009, an individual))a claimant who was simultaneously employed in full-time employment and part-time employment and is otherwise eligible for benefits from the loss of the full-time employment shall not be disqualified from benefits because the ((individual))claimant:

(a) Voluntarily quit the part-time employment before the loss of the full-time employment; and

(b) Did not have prior knowledge that he or she would be separated from full-time employment.

Sec. 4. RCW 50.20.080 and 2000 c 2 s 14 are each amended to read as follows:

((An individual))A claimant is disqualified for benefits, if the commissioner finds that the ((individual))claimant has failed without good cause, either to apply for available, suitable work, as defined in RCW 50.20.100, when so directed by the employment office or the commissioner, or to accept suitable work when offered to the ((individual))claimant, or to return to ((his or her))the claimant's customary self-employment (if any) when so directed by the commissioner. Such disqualification shall begin with the week of the refusal and thereafter for seven calendar weeks and continue until the ((individual))claimant has obtained bona fide work in employment covered by this title and earned wages in that employment of not less than seven times ((his or her))the claimant's suspended weekly benefit amount.

Sec. 5. RCW 50.20.100 and 2006 c 13 s 14 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Suitable work for ((an individual))a claimant is employment in an occupation in keeping with the ((individual's))claimant's prior work experience, education, or training and if the ((individual))claimant has no prior work experience, special education, or training for employment available in the general area, then employment which the ((individual))claimant would have the physical and mental ability to perform. In determining whether work is suitable for ((an individual))a claimant, the commissioner shall also consider the degree of risk involved to the ((individual's))claimant's health, safety, and morals, the ((individual's))claimant's physical fitness, the ((individual's))claimant's typical workweek hours, length of unemployment, and prospects for securing local work in the ((individual's))claimant's customary occupation, the distance of the available work from the ((individual's))claimant's residence, availability of caregiving for a child or vulnerable adult in the claimant's care, and such other factors as the commissioner may deem pertinent, including state and national emergencies.

(2) For ((individuals))claimants with base year work experience in agricultural labor, any agricultural labor available from any employer shall be deemed suitable unless it meets conditions in RCW 50.20.110 or the commissioner finds elements of specific work opportunity unsuitable for a particular ((individual))claimant.

(3) ((For part-time workers as defined in RCW 50.20.119, suitable work includes suitable work under subsection (1) of this section that is for seventeen or fewer hours per week.

(4))) For ((individuals))claimants who have qualified for unemployment compensation benefits under RCW 50.20.050 (((1)(b)(iv) or (2)(b)(iv)))(2)(d), as applicable, an evaluation of the suitability of the work must consider the ((individual's))claimant's need to address the physical, psychological, legal, and other effects of domestic violence or stalking.

Sec. 6. RCW 50.20.240 and 2006 c 13 s 16 are each amended to read as follows:

(1)(a) To ensure that following the initial application for benefits, ((an individual))a claimant is actively engaged in searching for work, the employment security department shall implement a job search monitoring program. ((Effective January 4, 2004,))The department shall contract with employment security agencies in other states to ensure that ((individuals))claimants residing in those states and receiving benefits under this title are actively engaged in searching for work in accordance with the requirements of this section. The department may use interactive voice technology and other electronic means to ensure that ((individuals))claimants are subject to comparable job search monitoring, regardless of whether they reside in Washington or elsewhere.

(b) Except for those ((individuals))claimants with employer attachment or union referral, ((individuals))claimants who qualify for unemployment compensation under RCW 50.20.050 (((1)(b)(iv) or (2)(b)(iv)))(2)(d), as applicable, and ((individuals))claimants in commissioner-approved training, ((an individual))a claimant who has received five or more weeks of benefits under this title, regardless of whether the ((individual))claimant resides in Washington or elsewhere, must provide evidence of seeking work, as directed by the commissioner or the commissioner's agents, for each week beyond five in which a claim is filed. ((With regard to claims with an effective date before January 4, 2004, the evidence must demonstrate contacts with at least three employers per week or documented in-person job search activity at the local reemployment center. With regard to claims with an effective date on or after January 4, 2004,))The evidence must demonstrate contacts with at least three employers per week or documented in-person job search activities at the local reemployment center at least three times per week.

(c) In developing the requirements for the job search monitoring program, the commissioner or the commissioner's agents shall utilize an existing advisory committee having equal representation of employers and workers.

(2) ((Effective January 4, 2004, an individual))A claimant who fails to comply fully with the requirements for actively seeking work under RCW 50.20.010 shall lose all benefits for all weeks during which the ((individual))claimant was not in compliance, and the ((individual))claimant shall be liable for repayment of all such benefits under RCW 50.20.190.

Sec. 7. RCW 50.29.021 and 2017 3rd sp.s. c 5 s 83 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) ((This section applies to benefits charged to the experience rating accounts of employers for claims that have an effective date on or after January 4, 2004.

(2)))(a) An experience rating account shall be established and maintained for each employer, except employers as described in RCW 50.44.010, 50.44.030, and 50.50.030 who have properly elected to make payments in lieu of contributions, taxable local government employers as described in RCW 50.44.035, and those employers who are required to make payments in lieu of contributions, based on existing records of the employment security department.

(b) Benefits paid to an eligible ((individual))claimant shall be charged to the experience rating accounts of each of such ((individual's))claimant's employers during the ((individual's))claimant's base year in the same ratio that the wages paid by each employer to the ((individual))claimant during the base year bear to the wages paid by all employers to that ((individual))claimant during that base year, except as otherwise provided in this section.

(c) When the eligible ((individual's))claimant's separating employer is a covered contribution paying base year employer, benefits paid to the eligible ((individual))claimant shall be charged to the experience rating account of only the individual's separating employer if the ((individual))claimant qualifies for benefits under:

(i) RCW 50.20.050 (((1)(b)(i) or (2)(b)(i)))(2)(a), as applicable, and became unemployed after having worked and earned wages in the bona fide work; ((or))

(ii) RCW 50.20.050(2)(l); or

(iii) RCW 50.20.050 (((1)(b) (v) through (x) or (2)(b) (v) through (x)))(2) (e) through (j).

(((3)))(2) The legislature finds that certain benefit payments, in whole or in part, should not be charged to the experience rating accounts of employers except those employers described in RCW 50.44.010, 50.44.030, and 50.50.030 who have properly elected to make payments in lieu of contributions, taxable local government employers described in RCW 50.44.035, and those employers who are required to make payments in lieu of contributions, as follows:

(a) Benefits paid to any ((individual))claimant later determined to be ineligible shall not be charged to the experience rating account of any contribution paying employer, except as provided in subsection (((5)))(4) of this section.

(b) Benefits paid to ((an individual))a claimant filing under the provisions of chapter 50.06 RCW shall not be charged to the experience rating account of any contribution paying employer only if:

(i) The ((individual))claimant files under RCW 50.06.020(1) after receiving crime victims' compensation for a disability resulting from a nonwork-related occurrence; or

(ii) The ((individual))claimant files under RCW 50.06.020(2).

(c) Benefits paid which represent the state's share of benefits payable as extended benefits defined under RCW 50.22.010(6) shall not be charged to the experience rating account of any contribution paying employer.

(d) In the case of ((individuals))claimants who requalify for benefits under RCW 50.20.050 or 50.20.060, benefits based on wage credits earned prior to the disqualifying separation shall not be charged to the experience rating account of the contribution paying employer from whom that separation took place.

(e) Benefits paid to ((an individual))a claimant who qualifies for benefits under RCW 50.20.050 (((1)(b) (iv) or (xi) or (2)(b) (iv) or (xi)))(2) (d) or (k), as applicable, shall not be charged to the experience rating account of any contribution paying employer.

(f) ((With respect to claims with an effective date on or after the first Sunday following April 22, 2005, benefits paid that exceed the benefits that would have been paid if the weekly benefit amount for the claim had been determined as one percent of the total wages paid in the individual's base year shall not be charged to the experience rating account of any contribution paying employer. This subsection (3)(f) does not apply to the calculation of contribution rates under RCW 50.29.025 for rate year 2010 and thereafter.

(g))) The forty-five dollar increase paid as part of ((an individual's))a claimant's weekly benefit amount as provided in RCW 50.20.1201 and the twenty-five dollar increase paid as part of ((an individual's))a claimant's weekly benefit amount as provided in RCW 50.20.1202 shall not be charged to the experience rating account of any contribution paying employer.

(((h)))(g) With respect to claims where the minimum amount payable weekly is increased to one hundred fifty-five dollars pursuant to RCW 50.20.1201(3), benefits paid that exceed the benefits that would have been paid if the minimum amount payable weekly had been calculated pursuant to RCW 50.20.120 shall not be charged to the experience rating account of any contribution paying employer.

(((i)))(h) Upon approval of ((an individual's))a claimant's training benefits plan submitted in accordance with RCW 50.22.155(2), ((an individual))a claimant is considered enrolled in training, and regular benefits beginning with the week of approval shall not be charged to the experience rating account of any contribution paying employer.

(((j)))(i) Training benefits paid to ((an individual))a claimant under RCW 50.22.155 shall not be charged to the experience rating account of any contribution paying employer.

(((4)))(3)(a) A contribution paying base year employer, except employers as provided in subsection (((6)))(5) of this section, not otherwise eligible for relief of charges for benefits under this section, may receive such relief if the benefit charges result from payment to ((an individual))a claimant who:

(i) Last left the employ of such employer voluntarily for reasons not attributable to the employer;

(ii) Was discharged for misconduct or gross misconduct connected with his or her work not a result of inability to meet the minimum job requirements;

(iii) Is unemployed as a result of closure or severe curtailment of operation at the employer's plant, building, worksite, or other facility. This closure must be for reasons directly attributable to a catastrophic occurrence such as fire, flood, or other natural disaster;

(iv) Continues to be employed on a regularly scheduled permanent part-time basis by a base year employer and who at some time during the base year was concurrently employed and subsequently separated from at least one other base year employer. Benefit charge relief ceases when the employment relationship between the employer requesting relief and the claimant is terminated. This subsection does not apply to shared work employers under chapter 50.60 RCW;

(v) Continues to be employed on a regularly scheduled permanent part-time basis by a base year employer and who qualified for two consecutive unemployment claims where wages were attributable to at least one employer who employed the ((individual))claimant in both base years. Benefit charge relief ceases when the employment relationship between the employer requesting relief and the claimant is terminated. This subsection does not apply to shared work employers under chapter 50.60 RCW;

(vi) Was hired to replace an employee who is a member of the military reserves or National Guard and was called to federal active military service by the president of the United States and is subsequently laid off when that employee is reemployed by their employer upon release from active duty within the time provided for reemployment in RCW 73.16.035; or

(vii) Worked for an employer for twenty weeks or less, and was laid off at the end of temporary employment when that employee temporarily replaced a permanent employee receiving family or medical leave benefits under this chapter, and the layoff is due to the return of that permanent employee. This subsection (((4)))(3)(a)(vii) applies to claims with an effective date on or after January 1, 2020.

(b) The employer requesting relief of charges under this subsection must request relief in writing within thirty days following mailing to the last known address of the notification of the valid initial determination of such claim, stating the date and reason for the separation or the circumstances of continued employment. The commissioner, upon investigation of the request, shall determine whether relief should be granted.

(((5)))(4) When a benefit claim becomes invalid due to an amendment or adjustment of a report where the employer failed to report or inaccurately reported hours worked or remuneration paid, or both, all benefits paid will be charged to the experience rating account of the contribution paying employer or employers that originally filed the incomplete or inaccurate report or reports. An employer who reimburses the trust fund for benefits paid to workers and who fails to report or inaccurately reported hours worked or remuneration paid, or both, shall reimburse the trust fund for all benefits paid that are based on the originally filed incomplete or inaccurate report or reports.

(((6)))(5) An employer's experience rating account may not be relieved of charges for a benefit payment and an employer who reimburses the trust fund for benefit payments may not be credited for a benefit payment if a benefit payment was made because the employer or employer's agent failed to respond timely or adequately to a written request of the department for information relating to the claim or claims without establishing good cause for the failure and the employer or employer's agent has a pattern of such failures. The commissioner has the authority to determine whether the employer has good cause under this subsection.

(a) For the purposes of this subsection, "adequately" means providing accurate information of sufficient quantity and quality that would allow a reasonable person to determine eligibility for benefits.

(b)(i) For the purposes of this subsection, "pattern" means a benefit payment was made because the employer or employer's agent failed to respond timely or adequately to a written request of the department for information relating to a claim or claims without establishing good cause for the failure, if the greater of the following calculations for an employer is met:

(A) At least three times in the previous two years; or

(B) Twenty percent of the total current claims against the employer.

(ii) If an employer's agent is utilized, a pattern is established based on each individual client employer that the employer's agent represents.

(1) RCW 50.20.119 (Part-time workers) and 2006 c 13 s 15; and

(2) RCW 50.29.020 (Experience rating accounts—Benefits not charged—Claims with an effective date before January 4, 2004) and 2004 c 110 s 3 & 2003 2nd sp.s. c 4 s 20.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 9. A new section is added to chapter 50.04 RCW to read as follows:

"Vulnerable adult" has the meaning given in RCW 74.34.020.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 10. A new section is added to chapter 50.04 RCW to read as follows:

"Typical workweek hours" means:

(1) For an hourly employee, the average number of hours worked per week by an employee during the base year, but no more than forty hours; and

(2) For a salaried employee, forty hours, regardless of the number of hours the salaried employee typically worked during the base year.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 11. A new section is added to chapter 50.20 RCW to read as follows:

The commissioner shall adopt rules to ensure claimants remain attached to the labor force by seeking work in a substantial field of employment, and are available for scheduling that is reasonably available in the claimant's local labor market and occupation.

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