SB1941 Summary

• Adds Section 408.5 to the Unemployment Insurance Act to provide additional unemployment benefits for workers affected by steel manufacturer layoffs certified under the federal Trade Act of 1974.

• Makes additional benefits available only for benefit years beginning on or after April 1, 2015 and prior to the Act's effective date, limited to individuals certified for trade adjustment assistance as of January 1, 2015.

• Requires applicants to have exhausted their regular unemployment benefits and trade readjustment allowances, and to have experienced total or partial unemployment due to layoff from a steel manufacturer.

• Sets the weekly additional benefit amount equal to the individual's regular weekly benefit amount, with a maximum total equal to their original benefit entitlement minus any trade readjustment allowances already received.

• Exempts additional benefits from employer chargeability and waiting period requirements, with payments made from the unemployment trust fund.