CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT

 

                   ENGROSSED SENATE BILL 5770

 

 

 

 

                        54th Legislature

                      1995 Regular Session

Passed by the Senate April 23, 1995

  YEAS 43   NAYS 2

 

 

 

President of the Senate

 

Passed by the House April 23, 1995

  YEAS 94   NAYS 0

             CERTIFICATE

 

I, Marty Brown, Secretary of the Senate of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is ENGROSSED SENATE BILL 5770 as passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on the dates hereon set forth.

 

 

 

Speaker of the

      House of Representatives

                            Secretary

 

 

Approved Place Style On Codes above, and Style Off Codes below.

                                FILED

          

 

 

Governor of the State of Washington

                   Secretary of State

                  State of Washington


          _______________________________________________

 

                    ENGROSSED SENATE BILL 5770

          _______________________________________________

 

              AS RECOMMENDED BY CONFERENCE COMMITTEE

 

             Passed Legislature - 1995 Regular Session

 

State of Washington      54th Legislature     1995 Regular Session

 

By Senators Pelz, Newhouse and Deccio; by request of Employment Security Department

 

Read first time 02/06/95.  Referred to Committee on Labor, Commerce & Trade.

 

Providing for unemployment insurance claimant profiling.



    AN ACT Relating to unemployment insurance claimant profiling; amending RCW 50.20.010 and 50.20.043; adding a new section to chapter 50.20 RCW; creating new sections; and declaring an emergency.

 

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

 

    Sec. 1.  RCW 50.20.010 and 1981 c 35 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:

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

    (1) He or she 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 as to individuals attached to regular jobs and as to such other types of cases or situations with respect to which ((he or she)) the commissioner finds that the compliance with such requirements would be oppressive, or would be inconsistent with the purposes of this title;

    (2) He or she 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;

    (3) He or she is able to work, and is available for work in any trade, occupation, profession, or business for which he or she is reasonably fitted.  To be available for work an individual must be ready, able, and willing, immediately to accept any suitable work which may be offered to him or her and must be actively seeking work pursuant to customary trade practices and through other methods when so directed by the commissioner or ((his)) the commissioner's agents;

    (4) He or she has been unemployed for a waiting period of one week; ((and))

    (5) He or she participates in reemployment services if the individual has been referred to reemployment services pursuant to the profiling system established by the commissioner under section 2 of this act, unless the commissioner determines that:

    (a) The individual has completed such services; or

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

    (6) As to weeks beginning after March 31, 1981, which fall within an extended benefit period as defined in RCW 50.22.010(((1), as now or hereafter amended)), the individual meets the terms and conditions of RCW 50.22.020((, as now or hereafter amended,)) with respect to benefits claimed in excess of twenty-six times the individual's weekly benefit amount.

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

 

    NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 50.20 RCW to read as follows:

    (1) The commissioner shall establish and use a profiling system for new claimants for regular compensation under this title that identifies permanently separated workers who are likely to exhaust regular compensation and will need job search assistance services to make a successful transition to new employment.  The profiling system shall use a combination of individual characteristics and labor market information to assign each individual a unique probability of benefit exhaustion.  Individuals identified as likely to exhaust benefits shall be referred to reemployment services, such as job search assistance services, to the extent such services are available at public expense.

    (2) The profiling system shall include collection and review of follow-up information relating to the services received by individuals under this section and the employment outcomes for the individuals following receipt of the services.  The information shall be used in making profiling identifications.

    (3) In carrying out reviews of individuals receiving services, the department may contract with public or private entities and may disclose information or records necessary to permit contracting entities to assist in the operation and management of department functions.  Any information or records disclosed to public or private entities shall be used solely for the purposes for which the information was disclosed and the entity shall be bound by the same rules of privacy and confidentiality as department employees.  The misuse or unauthorized disclosure of information or records deemed private and confidential under chapter 50.13 RCW by any person or organization to which access is permitted by this section shall subject the person or organization to a civil penalty of five thousand dollars and other applicable sanctions under state and federal law.  Suit to enforce this section shall be brought by the attorney general and the amount of any penalties collected shall be paid into the employment security department administrative contingency fund.  The attorney general may recover reasonable attorneys' fees for any action brought to enforce this section.

 

    Sec. 3.  RCW 50.20.043 and 1985 c 40 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

    (1) No otherwise eligible individual shall be denied benefits for any week because the individual is in training with the approval of the commissioner, nor shall such individual be denied benefits with respect to any week in which the individual is satisfactorily progressing in a training program with the approval of the commissioner by reason of the application of RCW 50.20.010(3), 50.20.015, 50.20.080, or 50.22.020(1) relating to availability for work and active search for work, or failure to apply for or refusal to accept suitable work.

    (2) An individual shall be considered to be in training with the approval of the commissioner if the individual is one who:

    (a)(i) The commissioner determines to be a dislocated worker as defined by RCW 50.04.075; or

    (ii) Fits the department's profile of unemployed workers who are likely to exhaust their benefits; and ((who))

    (b) Is satisfactorily progressing in a training program approved by the commissioner ((shall be considered to be in training with the approval of the commissioner)).

    (3) At the time of filing for an initial determination, individuals determined to be dislocated workers as defined in RCW 50.04.075 or who fit the department's profile of unemployed workers who are likely to exhaust their benefits shall be provided with information concerning the opportunity, if the individual is otherwise eligible, to receive benefits while satisfactorily progressing in training approved by the commissioner.

 

    NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4.  The commissioner may adopt rules as necessary to implement the 1995 c ... ss 1 and 3 (sections 1 and 3 of this act) amendments to RCW 50.20.010 and 50.20.043 and section 2 of this act, including but not limited to definitions, eligibility standards, program review criteria and procedures, and provisions necessary to comply with applicable federal laws and regulations that are a condition to receipt of federal funds by the state or the granting of federal unemployment tax credits to employers in this state.

 

    NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5.  If any part of this act is found to be in conflict with federal requirements that are a prescribed condition to the allocation of federal funds to the state or the eligibility of employers in this state for federal unemployment tax credits, the conflicting part of this act is hereby declared to be inoperative solely to the extent of the conflict, and such finding or determination shall not affect the operation of the remainder of this act.  The rules under this act shall meet federal requirements that are a necessary condition to the receipt of federal funds by the state or the granting of federal unemployment tax credits to employers in this state.

 

    NEW SECTION.  Sec. 6.  This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and shall take effect immediately.

 


                            --- END ---