AN ACT Relating to unemployment insurance benefits for individuals participating in an apprenticeship program; amending RCW 50.20.010; creating new sections; and providing an effective date.

(1) 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:

(a) The individual 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 the commissioner finds that the compliance with such requirements would be oppressive, or would be inconsistent with the purposes of this title;

(b) The individual 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) The individual is able to work, and is available for work in any trade, occupation, profession, or business for which the individual is reasonably fitted.

(i) 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 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.

(ii) Until June 30, 2021, an individual under quarantine or isolation, as defined by the department of health, as directed by a public health official during the novel coronavirus outbreak pursuant to the gubernatorial declaration of emergency of February 29, 2020, will meet the requirements of this subsection (1)(c) if the individual is able to perform, available to perform, and actively seeking work which can be performed while under quarantine or isolation.

(iii) For the purposes of this subsection, "customary trade practices" includes compliance with an electrical apprenticeship training program that includes a recognized referral system under apprenticeship program standards approved by the Washington state apprenticeship and training council;

(e) The individual participates in reemployment services if the individual 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:

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

(2) 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.

(3)(a) For any weeks of unemployment insurance benefits when the one week waiting period is fully paid or fully reimbursed by the federal government, subsection (1)(d) of this section is waived.

(b) For any weeks of unemployment insurance benefits when the one week waiting period is partially paid or partially reimbursed by the federal government, the department may, by rule, elect to waive subsection (1)(d) of this section.

(4) During the weeks of a public health emergency, an unemployed individual may also meet the requirements of subsection (1)(c) of this section if:

(a) The unemployed individual is able to perform, available to perform, and actively seeking suitable work which can be performed for an employer from the individual's home; and

(b) The unemployed individual or another individual residing with the unemployed individual is at higher risk of severe illness or death from the disease that is the subject of the public health emergency because the higher risk individual:

(i) Was in an age category that is defined as high risk for the disease that is the subject of the public health emergency by:

(ii) Has an underlying health condition, verified as required by the department by rule, that is identified as a risk factor for the disease that is the subject of the public health emergency by:

(5)(a) During the weeks of a public health emergency, an unemployed health care worker may also meet the requirements of subsection (1)(c) of this section if the unemployed health care worker described in RCW 50.20.050(3) and 50.29.021(1)(c)(iii) is able to perform, available to perform, and actively seeking suitable work which will commence after quarantine or which can be performed for an employer from the individual's home.

(b) For purposes of this subsection, "health care worker" means an individual who worked at a health care facility as defined in RCW 9A.50.010, and was directly involved in the delivery of health services.

(6) For any individual who left work to enter an apprenticeship program under RCW 50.20.050(1)(b)(xi), or who is currently enrolled in an apprenticeship program and stopped work for a participating employer to attend related or supplemental instruction required for the apprenticeship program, subsection (1)(d) of this section is waived.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. (1) The employment security department shall convene a work group for the purpose of identifying and addressing legal and procedural barriers faced by eligible claimants participating in apprenticeship programs when those claimants seek timely access to unemployment insurance benefits. The work group must include representatives of apprenticeship programs and staff of the department, as well as other appropriate stakeholders identified by the department.

(2) The employment security department must submit a report with findings and recommendations, including a status update on applicable administrative efforts to reduce procedural barriers identified by the work group, to the governor and appropriate committees of the legislature by December 1, 2023, in accordance with the requirements under RCW 43.01.036.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. 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, the conflicting part of this act is inoperative solely to the extent of the conflict and with respect to the agencies directly affected, and this finding does not affect the operation of the remainder of this act in its application to the agencies concerned. Rules adopted under this act must meet federal requirements that are a necessary condition to the receipt of federal funds by the state.