HB 5452 Summary

• Allows unemployment benefit recipients to seek Labor Commissioner approval to perform volunteer community service in lieu of actively seeking work by submitting a form describing the service, supervisor contact information, and weekly schedule.

• Requires the Labor Commissioner to grant or deny permission for volunteer community service within 14 days of receiving the application.

• Establishes that individuals approved for volunteer community service must engage in at least 20 hours per week and provide tangible evidence of participation to remain eligible for extended benefits.

• Adds gender-neutral language throughout unemployment benefits statutes by replacing "his" with "his or her."

• Effective date: Section 1 effective from passage; Sections 2 and 3 effective October 1, 2014.