[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4550 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4550

To amend the trade adjustment assistance program under the Trade Act of 
1974 to clarify the eligibility requirements with respect to adversely 
    affected workers who are engaged in self-employment assistance 
                  activities, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 23, 2002

 Mr. Baldacci introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the trade adjustment assistance program under the Trade Act of 
1974 to clarify the eligibility requirements with respect to adversely 
    affected workers who are engaged in self-employment assistance 
                  activities, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Small Business and Dislocated Worker 
Opportunity Act of 2002''.

SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO TRADE ADJUSTMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM UNDER THE 
              TRADE ACT OF 1974.

    (a) Eligibility for Certain Adversely Affected Workers.--Section 
231 of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2291) is amended by adding at 
the end the following:
    ``(d) Participation by an adversely affected worker covered by a 
certification under subchapter A in self-employment assistance 
activities shall not affect the eligibility of that worker to receive 
benefits under this subchapter.''.
    (b) Limitation on Trade Readjustment Allowances.--Section 233 of 
the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2293) is amended by adding at the end 
the following:
    ``(g)(1) In the case of an adversely affected worker covered by a 
certification under subchapter A who engages in self-employment 
assistance activities, or who has engaged in such activities during any 
part of the certification period, a trade readjustment allowance shall 
not be paid for any week occurring after (A) the close of the 26-week 
period that begins on the date of the establishment of the small 
business or, (B) if on the date of such establishment the worker has 
fewer than 26 weeks remaining of eligibility for receipt of trade 
readjustment allowances, the close of the remaining number of weeks.
    ``(2) The amount of a trade readjustment allowance payable with 
respect to a period described in paragraph (1) shall be calculated in 
accordance with the following:
            ``(A) The amount of the allowance payable for each week of 
        the first 14 weeks of the period shall be equal to the amount 
        calculated under section 232.
            ``(B) The amount of the allowance payable for each week of 
        the next 6 weeks of the period shall be equal to 75 percent of 
        the amount calculated under section 232.
            ``(C) The amount of the allowance payable for each week of 
        the next 6 weeks of the period shall be equal to 50 percent of 
        the amount calculated under section 232.''.
    (c) Definitions.--Section 247 of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 
2319) is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(18) The term `self-employment assistance activities' 
        means--
                    ``(A) entrepreneurial training, business 
                counseling, technical assistance, and related 
                activities approved by the appropriate State agency; 
                and
                    ``(B) activities (which may include training), 
                engaged in on a full-time basis, relating to the 
                establishment of a business and becoming self-
                employed.''.
    (d) Guidelines.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Labor shall issue such 
guidelines as the Secretary determines to be necessary to carry out the 
amendments made by this section.

SEC. 3. AMENDMENT TO THE FEDERAL UNEMPLOYMENT TAX ACT.

    Section 3306(t) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by 
adding at the end the following:
``A program shall not be considered to be in nonconformance with this 
subsection solely because the program expressly or in effect waives the 
requirement described in paragraph (3)(B) in the case of any individual 
who is covered by a certification under subchapter A of chapter 2 of 
title II of the Trade Act of 1974.''.
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