Senate Bill 16 Summary

• Requires unemployment benefit claimants to contact five potential employers per week and present valid photo identification to the Division of Employment Security to receive weekly benefits, effective July 1, 2015.

• Eliminates the procedure to request reconsideration of Division decisions and requires claimants to proceed directly to judicial review in superior court, effective July 1, 2015.

• Authorizes the Division of Employment Security to attach or garnish employer credit card receipts and third-party payments to collect unpaid employment taxes following a successful civil action.

• Changes the duration of unemployment benefits based solely on the seasonal adjusted statewide unemployment rate, reducing maximum benefits from 20 weeks to a tiered system ranging from 12 to 20 weeks depending on unemployment rates, effective July 1, 2015.

• Extends the deadline for adopting all existing Division of Employment Security rules from December 31, 2012 to April 20, 2015, and authorizes disclosure of social security numbers to the Division for identity verification purposes.