SB1694 Summary

• Authorizes the Department of Economic Security to implement alternative benefit eligibility and employer contribution requirements for Arizona's unemployment insurance program during the federal COVID-19 emergency declaration.

• Prohibits the department from considering increased benefits charged to an employer's account when calculating employer contribution rates if those increases resulted from alternative benefit eligibility for COVID-19 affected individuals.

• Allows the department to adjust eligibility requirements for the shared work program during the federal emergency period, but prohibits shared work benefits for individuals whose normal weekly hours are reduced by more than 80 percent.

• Exempts the department from rulemaking requirements under Arizona Revised Statutes title 41, chapter 6 during the federal emergency declaration period.

• Applies retroactively to March 10, 2020 and is effective immediately as an emergency measure.