S 759 - Unemployment Insurance Law Changes

• Establishes confidentiality requirements for unemployment insurance information to comply with federal regulations at 20 C.F.R. Part 603, with exemptions from public records disclosure and restrictions on redisclosure of claimant and employer data.

• Restructures the Board of Review for unemployment insurance appeals by having two members appointed by the General Assembly (one by House Speaker, one by Senate President Pro Tempore) and one member appointed by the Governor, with staggered four-year terms beginning July 1.

• Requires unemployment insurance claimants to contact five potential employers per week (increased from two) to satisfy the "actively seeking work" requirement, effective July 1, 2014.

• Eliminates the reconsideration procedure for unemployment insurance decisions and allows judicial review directly in superior court; removes minimum benefit weeks and ties maximum weeks solely to the statewide seasonal unemployment rate (ranging from 12 to 20 weeks), effective July 1, 2014.

• Requires claimants to present valid photo identification to receive weekly unemployment benefits and authorizes DMV to disclose social security numbers to the Division of Employment Security for identity verification purposes.