[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3639 Introduced in House (IH)]
108th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3639
To extend the Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 2002,
and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 21, 2003
Mr. Tiahrt introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Ways and Means
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To extend the Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 2002,
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; REFERENCES.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``American Workers
Assistance Act''.
(b) References.--Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever
in this Act an amendment is expressed in terms of an amendment to a
section or other provision, the reference shall be considered to be
made to a section or other provision of the Temporary Extended
Unemployment Compensation Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-147; 26 U.S.C.
3304 note).
SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF THE TEMPORARY EXTENDED UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION
ACT OF 2002.
(a) Six-Month Extension of Program.--Section 208 is amended to read
as follows:
``SEC. 208. APPLICABILITY.
``(a) In General.--Subject to subsection (b), an agreement entered
into under this title shall apply to weeks of unemployment--
``(1) beginning after the date on which such agreement is
entered into; and
``(2) ending before July 1, 2004.
``(b) Transition.--In the case of an individual who is receiving
temporary extended unemployment compensation for the week which
immediately precedes the first day of the week that includes July 1,
2004, temporary extended unemployment compensation shall continue to be
payable to such individual for any week thereafter from the account
from which such individual received compensation for the week
immediately preceding that termination date. No compensation shall be
payable by reason of the preceding sentence for any week beginning
after December 31, 2004.''.
(b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by this section shall take
effect as if included in the enactment of the Temporary Extended
Unemployment Compensation Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-147; 26 U.S.C.
3304 note).
SEC. 3. ENTITLEMENT TO ADDITIONAL WEEKS OF TEMPORARY EXTENDED
UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION.
(a) Weeks of TEUC Amounts.--Paragraph (1) of section 203(b) is
amended to read as follows:
``(1) In general.--The amount established in an account
under subsection (a) shall be equal to 26 times the
individual's weekly benefit amount for the benefit year.''.
(b) Weeks of TEUC-X Amounts.--Section 203(c)(1) is amended by
striking ``an amount equal to the amount originally established in such
account (as determined under subsection (b)(1))'' and inserting ``7
times the individual's weekly benefit amount for the benefit year''.
(c) Effective Date.--
(1) In general.--The amendments made by this section--
(A) shall take effect as if included in the
enactment of the Temporary Extended Unemployment
Compensation Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-147; 26 U.S.C.
3304 note); but
(B) shall apply only with respect to weeks of
unemployment beginning on or after the date of
enactment of this Act, subject to paragraph (2).
(2) Special rules.--In the case of an individual for whom a
temporary extended unemployment compensation account was
established before the date of enactment of this Act, the
Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 2002 (as
amended by this Act) shall be applied subject to the following:
(A) Any amounts deposited in the individual's
temporary extended unemployment compensation account by
reason of section 203(c) of such Act (commonly known as
``TEUC-X amounts'') before the date of enactment of
this Act shall be treated as amounts deposited by
reason of section 203(b) of such Act (commonly known as
``TEUC amounts''), as amended by subsection (a).
(B) For purposes of determining whether the
individual is eligible for any TEUC-X amounts under
such Act, as amended by this Act--
(i) any determination made under section
203(c) of such Act before the application of
the amendments made by this Act shall be
disregarded; and
(ii) any such determination shall instead
be made by applying section 203(c) of such Act,
as amended by this Act--
(I) as of the time that all amounts
established in such account in
accordance with section 203(b) of such
Act (as amended by this Act, and
including any amounts described in
subparagraph (A)) are in fact
exhausted, except that
(II) if such individual's account
was both augmented by and exhausted of
all TEUC-X amounts before the date of
enactment of this Act, such
determination shall be made as if
exhaustion (as described in section
203(c)(1) of such Act) had not occurred
until such date of enactment.
SEC. 4. EXTENDED BENEFIT PERIODS.
(a) Application of Revised Rate of Insured Unemployment.--Section
207 is amended--
(1) by striking ``In'' and inserting ``(a) In General.--
In''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(b) Insured Unemployment Rate.--For purposes of carrying out
section 203(c) with respect to weeks of unemployment beginning on or
after the date of enactment of this subsection, the term `rate of
insured unemployment', as used in section 203(d) of the Federal-State
Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970 (26 U.S.C. 3304 note),
has the meaning given such term under section 203(e)(1) of such Act,
except that individuals exhausting their right to regular compensation
during the most recent 3 calendar months for which data are available
before the close of the period for which such rate is being determined
shall be taken into account as if they were individuals filing claims
for regular compensation for each week during the period for which such
rate is being determined, and section 203(d)(1)(A) of such Act shall be
applied by substituting `either (or both)' for `each'.''.
(b) Additional Extended Benefit Period Trigger.--
(1) In general.--Section 203(c) is amended by adding at the
end the following:
``(3) Additional extended benefit period trigger.--
``(A) In general.--Effective with respect to
compensation for weeks of unemployment beginning on or
after the date of enactment of this paragraph, an
agreement under this title shall provide that, in
addition to any other extended benefit period trigger,
for purposes of beginning or ending any extended
benefit period under this section--
``(i) there is a State `on' indicator for a
week if--
``(I) the average rate of total
unemployment in such State (seasonally
adjusted) for the period consisting of
the most recent 3 months for which data
for all States are published before the
close of such week equals or exceeds 6
percent; and
``(II) the average rate of total
unemployment in such State (seasonally
adjusted) for the 3-month period
referred to in subclause (I) equals or
exceeds 110 percent of such average
rate for the corresponding 3-month
period ending in either (or both) of
the preceding 2 calendar years; and
``(ii) there is a State `off' indicator for
a week if either the requirements of subclause
(I) or (II) of clause (i) are not satisfied.
``(B) No effect on other determinations.--
Notwithstanding the provisions of any agreement
described in subparagraph (A), any week for which there
would otherwise be a State `on' indicator shall
continue to be such a week and shall not be determined
to be a week for which there is a State `off'
indicator.
``(C) Determinations made by the secretary.--For
purposes of this subsection, determinations of the rate
of total unemployment in any State for any period (and
of any seasonal adjustment) shall be made by the
Secretary.''.
(2) Conforming amendment.--Section 203(c)(1) is amended by
inserting ``or (3)'' after ``paragraph (2)''.
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