6097.E AMH .... REIN 125

ESB 6097 - H AMD

By Representative ____________

   On page 12, beginning on line 25, strike all of subsection (2) and insert the following:

   "(2)(a) With respect to claims that have an effective date before January 4, 2004, an individual's weekly benefit amount shall be an amount equal to one twenty-fifth of the average quarterly wages of the individual's total wages during the two quarters of the individual's base year in which such total wages were highest.    (b) With respect to claims that have an effective date on or after January 4, 2004, an individual's weekly benefit amount shall be an amount equal to three and nine-tenths percent of the average quarterly wages of the individual's total wages during the two quarters of the individual's base year in which such total wages were highest."

EFFECT: Strikes provisions modifying the formula used to calculate weekly benefit amounts that would require three-quarter averaging in 2004 and four-quarter averaging thereafter. Substitutes provisions modifying the formula that require that the weekly benefit amount be based on 3.9% (instead of 4.0% under current law) of the average of the individual's wages in the two quarters of the base year in which wages were highest.