LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 23, as amended, Coto. Unemployment insurance: extended
benefits.
Existing law provides that, for purposes of eligibility for
federal-state extended benefits, an individual have earnings that
exceed either 40 times his or her most recent weekly benefit amount
or 1.5 times the highest quarter in the base period, and precludes
the implementation of the alternative eligibility requirement for
federal-state extended benefits unless the Director of the Employment
Development Department determines that these provisions have been
approved by the United States Department of Labor.
The federal Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2008 ,
created the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC)
Program on June 30, 2008, which provides for the payment of up to 13
weeks of federally funded emergency unemployment compensation (EUC)
benefits to eligible unemployed individuals nationwide who had
already collected all regular state benefits for which they were
eligible. The federal Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of
2008, which was enacted on November 21, 2008, further expanded the
EUC Program to provide for the payment of 20 weeks of benefits
nationwide, and provides for the payment of 13 more weeks of benefits
to eligible unemployed individuals in states with high unemployment
rates, as determined by specified criteria. The federal American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which was enacted on February
17, 2009, extends to May 31, 2010, the period of time during which
claims for EUC benefits can be filed and paid.
The bill would provide for the payment of temporary federal-state
EUC benefits authorized under the Supplemental Appropriations Act of
2008, the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2008, and the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to eligible
individuals in this state for weeks of unemployment on or after
February 1, 2009, and continuing until the week ending 3 weeks prior
to the last week for which specified provisions providing for 100%
federal sharing authorized under the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009, except as provided , if specified
economic indicators until December 6, 2009, or until a
specified provision of federallaw providing for the payment of those
benefits expires, whichever is later trigger the
payment of those benefits . Because the bill would provide for
the payment or additional amounts from the Unemployment Fund, a
continuously appropriated special fund, it would make an
appropriation.
The California Constitution authorizes the Governor to declare a
fiscal emergency and to call the Legislature into special session for
that purpose. The Governor issued a proclamation declaring a fiscal
emergency, and calling a special session for this purpose, on
December 19, 2008.
This bill would state that it addresses the fiscal emergency
declared by the Governor by proclamation issued on December 19, 2008,
pursuant to the California Constitution.
This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as
an urgency statute.