H.B. 1352 Summary

• Establishes a new short-time compensation program allowing employers to reduce employee work hours by 10-60% as an alternative to layoffs, with affected employees receiving proportional unemployment benefits.

• Requires employers to submit written plans to the Director of Labor and Industrial Relations for approval, including details on affected units, employee notifications, hour reductions, and commitment to maintain health and retirement benefits.

• Director must approve or disapprove plans within a specified timeframe and may revoke approval for good cause, including failure to comply with plan assurances or violation of approval criteria.

• Eligible employees receive weekly benefits equal to the regular unemployment compensation amount multiplied by the percentage reduction in their usual weekly hours, not exceeding 52 weeks of benefits per plan.

• Short-time compensation benefits are charged to employers in the same manner as regular unemployment compensation and are deducted from the employee's maximum benefit entitlement for the benefit year.