By Mr. Jones of North Reading, petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1799) of Bradley H. Jones, Jr., and others relative to reform of the unemployment insurance system.  Labor and Workforce Development.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PETITION OF:

Bradley H. Jones, Jr.

Mary S. Rogeness

George N. Peterson, Jr.

John A. Lepper

Viriato Manuel deMacedo

Jeffrey Davis Perry

Paul K. Frost

Bradford Hill

Robert S. Hargraves

Elizabeth A. Poirier

Karyn E. Polito

Susan Williams Gifford

Richard J. Ross

Paul J. P. Loscocco

Donald F. Humason, Jr.

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In the Year Two Thousand and Seven.

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An Act relative to reform of the unemployment insurance system.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. Paragraph (2) of subsection (i) of section 14 of chapter 151A of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2004 Official Edition, is hereby repealed.

SECTION 2. Paragraph (a) of Section 24 of said chapter 151A, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out in its entirety said paragraph and inserting in place thereof a new paragraph;

(a) Have been paid wages in the base period amounting to at least forty times the weekly benefit rate; provided, however, that for the period beginning on January first, nineteen hundred and ninety-five the individual has been paid wages in at least two quarters of the base period amounting to at least thirty times the weekly benefit rate; provided, further, that said amount shall be increased annually proportionately, rounding to the nearest one hundred dollars, to any increases which have occurred during the prior calendar year in the minimum wage as set forth in section one of chapter one hundred and fifty-one; and, provided further, that any such increase shall be effective beginning on the first Sunday in January.

SECTION 3. Section 30 of said chapter 151A, as most recently amended by Section 10 of chapter 142 of the Acts of 2003, is hereby amended by striking out subsection (a) in its entirety and inserting in place thereof the following subsection: –

(a) Except as provided in subsection (b), the total benefits which an unemployed individual may receive during his benefit year shall be an amount equal to thirty-six percent of his wages in the base period, or an amount equal to thirty times his benefit rate, whichever is less, plus dependency benefits payable under section 29; provided, that if in any month the average state-wide unemployment rate for the prior 6 months, as determined by the United States Department of Labor, is equal to or below 5.1 percent, the total benefits which an unemployed individual who then files a claim may receive during his benefit year shall be an amount equal to 36 per cent of his wages in the base period or an amount equal to 26 times his benefit rate, whichever is less, plus dependency benefits payable under said section 29. If such amount includes a fractional part of a dollar, it shall be rounded to the next lower full dollar amount

SECTION 4.  Section 14G of said chapter 151Ais hereby repealed. 

SECTION 5.  Any proceeds accumulated in the Medical Security Trust Fund on the date of dissolution, shall be returned to the employers of the commonwealth on a per employee basis.

SECTION 6.  Notwithstanding section 14 of chapter 151A of the General Laws, the experience rate of an employer qualifying for it under subsection (b) of said section 14 of said chapter 151A shall be the rate which appears in the column designated "D" for calendar years 2007 and 2008.