SB373 Summary

• Establishes the Unemployment Insurance Program Integrity Act of 2021 to enhance program integrity and prevent fraud in Alabama's unemployment insurance system.

• Requires the Department of Labor to conduct weekly checks of unemployment insurance rolls against new hire records, the National Directorate of New Hires, Alabama Department of Corrections incarcerated individuals list, and the Integrity Data Hub of the National Association of State Workforce Agencies.

• Mandates the Department of Labor to enter into a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General to proactively detect and investigate unemployment fraud cases.

• Requires the Department of Labor to adopt internal administrative policies to recover improper unemployment benefit overpayments to the fullest extent allowed by state and federal law, unless such recovery would violate applicable law.

• Mandates the Department of Labor to issue annual reports to the Legislature detailing fraud detection efficacy, amounts of improper payments issued and recovered, and reasons for any unrecovered overpayments.

• Takes effect January 1, 2022.