[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6271 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6271

To provide certain unemployment assistance for individuals impacted by 
   quarantine order for a national or State public health emergency, 
           including a virus threat or other health pandemic.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 13, 2020

 Ms. Jackson Lee introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
           the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide certain unemployment assistance for individuals impacted by 
   quarantine order for a national or State public health emergency, 
           including a virus threat or other health pandemic.

    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 ``Unemployment Assistance for 
Individuals Impacted by Quarantine Order for a National or State Public 
Health Emergency Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE.

    The President may treat a national or State public health 
emergency, including a virus threat or other health pandemic, as a 
major disaster for purposes of providing unemployment assistance under 
section 410 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5177). For the duration of such a public 
health emergency, the President may provide any assistance available 
under such section, and may provide additional unemployment assistance 
that meets the following requirements:
            (1) For individuals occupying a part-time or full-time 
        position of employment who do not receive paid sick leave and 
        who are under quarantine orders, or have minor children under 
        quarantine orders, issued by a Federal, State, or local public 
        health authority, compensation for absence from such employment 
        for the duration of such quarantine orders.
            (2) Compensation provided under this section shall be based 
        on the number of regular hours that the individual would have 
        worked if such individual were not under quarantine orders, or 
        was not accompanying a minor child under quarantine orders.
            (3) Proof of pay for the period within 60 days of an order 
        described in paragraph (2) and proof of employment during the 
        duration of the order shall serve as evidence of the 
        compensation level to be determined under such paragraph.
            (4) Assistance may be provided under this section to 
        individuals described in paragraph (1) who are eligible for 
        paid sick leave but denied such benefit in the case of a 
        quarantine order.
            (5) Assistance may be provided under this section to an 
        individual who occupies a part-time or full-time position of 
        employment and is paid an hourly rate if such individual is the 
        primary caregiver to a medically at-risk person under a 
        quarantine order or other medical declaration issued by a 
        Federal, State, or local public health authority due to the 
        public health emergency.
            (6) Benefit levels provided as assistance under this 
        section shall additionally meet the following:
                    (A) Benefit Levels shall be calculated based upon 
                State Unemployment Insurance (hereinafter referred to 
                as ``UI'') benefits where the individual primarily 
                worked (which may differ from the location where a 
                quarantine or recuperation from an illness may take 
                place).
                    (B) At a minimum, individuals with employment that 
                require that such individual physically be at a 
                location that is not accessible due to a quarantine or 
                medical order due to a public health emergency will 
                receive assistance under this section that is at least 
                half of the average UI benefit for that State and 
                cannot receive more than the maximum UI benefit 
                available in that State.
                    (C) The maximum UI weekly benefit amount shall be 
                determined under the provisions of the laws of the 
                State in which the work occurs.
                    (D) The UI benefit amount shall be calculated to 
                replace around 50 percent of wages up to a maximum 
                benefit amount and shall not exceed 66 percent of the 
                average weekly wage, based upon each State's practice.
                    (E) The minimum weekly assistance provided under 
                this section shall be half of the average weekly UI 
                benefit for the State in which the work occurs.
                    (F) The terms of payment of UI benefits shall be 
                determined by the health declaration, doctors orders, 
                or public health mandate.
                    (G) The benefit shall cease upon the end of the 
                public health emergency, as determined by the 
                President, or upon recovery or other mitigation of the 
                conditions of this section.
            (7) The President shall consider the following factors, 
        with respect to the individual requesting assistance for 
        qualification under this section:
                    (A) The address of employment is within the 
                geographic area under quarantine.
                    (B) The home address is a location where quarantine 
                is declared.
                    (C) The primary means of reaching work are not 
                available due to quarantine.
                    (D) The person is under medical care which 
                prohibits them working or traveling to work.
                    (E) Illness or suspected illness that is the target 
                of the national health emergency.
                    (F) Primary caregiver for someone deemed to be at 
                particularly high risk who are under quarantine or 
                medical directive regarding mobility or activity 
                outside of their home.
                    (G) Have a child infant through 18 with a place of 
                education that is under quarantine.
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