I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3495 

To support both workers and recovery by converting expanded Federal 

unemployment payments into signing bonuses. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 25, 2021 

Mr. GALLAGHER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Ways and Means 

A BILL 

To support both workers and recovery by converting expanded Federal unemployment payments into signing bonuses. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Signing 

5 Bonus Act of 2021’’. 

6 SEC. 2. NATIONAL SIGNING BONUSES. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 2104(b) of the CARES 

8 Act (15 U.S.C. 9023(b)) is amended— 

9 (1) by redesignating paragraph (4) as para10 graph (5); and 


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1 (2) by inserting after paragraph (3) the fol2 lowing: 

3 ‘‘(4) BACK-TO-WORK BONUSES.— 

4 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Any agreement under 

5 this section may also provide that the State 

6 agency of the State may make up to 2 lump7 sum payments (in this paragraph referred to as 

8 the ‘first lump-sum payment’ and the ‘second 

9 lump-sum payment’) to each individual who— 

10 ‘‘(i) was eligible for Federal Pandemic 

11 Unemployment Compensation under para12 graph (1) for— 

13 ‘‘(I) any week beginning after the 

14 date of enactment of the National 

15 Signing Bonus Act of 2021; and 

16 ‘‘(II) at least the 8 weeks imme17 diately preceding the week under sub18 clause (I); 

19 ‘‘(ii) is no longer eligible for Federal 

20 Pandemic Unemployment Compensation 

21 under paragraph (1) (as determined by the 

22 State), as a result of earnings due to com23 mencing employment with an employer by 

24 whom the individual has not been em25 ployed during the preceding 6 months; and 


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1 ‘‘(iii) as verified by the individual’s 

2 employer pursuant to subparagraph (E)— 

3 ‘‘(I) has been employed by a non4 governmental employer throughout— 

5 ‘‘(aa) in the case of the first 

6 lump-sum payment, the individ7 ual’s first qualifying period; and 

8 ‘‘(bb) in the case of the sec9 ond lump-sum payment, the indi10 vidual’s second qualifying period; 

11 and 

12 ‘‘(II) remains employed with an 

13 intent to continue such employment. 

14 ‘‘(B) AMOUNT.— 

15 ‘‘(i) FIRST LUMP-SUM PAYMENT.— 

16 With respect to the first qualifying period, 

17 a payment made to an individual under 

18 this paragraph shall be paid in a lump sum 

19 amount of $1,212. 

20 ‘‘(ii) SECOND LUMP-SUM PAYMENT.— 

21 With respect to the second qualifying pe22 riod, a payment made to an individual 

23 under this paragraph shall be paid in a 

24 lump sum amount of $1,212. 

25 ‘‘(C) QUALIFYING PERIODS.— 


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1 ‘‘(i) FIRST QUALIFYING PERIOD.—For 

2 purposes of this paragraph, the term ‘first 

3 qualifying period’ means, with respect to 

4 an individual, a period— 

5 ‘‘(I) beginning on the date the in6 dividual commenced employment as 

7 described in subparagraph (A)(ii); and 

8 ‘‘(II) extending at least 4 con9 secutive weeks from such date. 

10 ‘‘(ii) SECOND QUALIFYING PERIOD.— 

11 For purposes of this paragraph, the term 

12 ‘second qualifying period’ means, with re13 spect to an individual, a period— 

14 ‘‘(I) beginning on the date the in15 dividual commenced employment as 

16 described in subparagraph (A)(ii) 

17 (with the same employer with whom 

18 the individual qualified for the first 

19 lump-sum payment under this para20 graph); and 

21 ‘‘(II) extending at least 8 con22 secutive weeks from such date. 

23 ‘‘(D) DURATION.—A first or second lump24 sum payment may not be made to any indi25 vidual under this paragraph with respect to a 


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1 first or second qualifying period beginning on 

2 or after July 4, 2021. 

3 ‘‘(E) EMPLOYER VERIFICATION REQUIRED

4 FOR BOTH LUMP-SUM PAYMENTS.—Before 

5 making the first and second lump-sum payment 

6 to an individual pursuant to this paragraph, a 

7 State agency shall require verification from the 

8 individual’s employer— 

9 ‘‘(i) of the individual’s employment 

10 status; 

11 ‘‘(ii) of the wages paid to the indi12 vidual during the applicable qualifying pe13 riod; and 

14 ‘‘(iii) of the hours worked by the indi15 vidual during the applicable qualifying pe16 riod. 

17 ‘‘(F) LIMITATION.—A State may not pro18 vide more than one first lump-sum payment 

19 and one second lump-sum payment under this 

20 paragraph to an individual. 

21 ‘‘(G) SPECIAL RULE.—Payments made 

22 pursuant to an agreement under this paragraph 

23 shall not be considered to violate the withdrawal 

24 requirements of section 303(a)(5) of the Social 

25 Security Act (42 U.S.C. 503(a)(5)) or section 


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1 3304(a)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 

2 1986.’’. 

3 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 2104 of 

4 the CARES Act (15 U.S.C. 9023) is amended— 

5 (1) in subsections (d) and (f), by inserting ‘‘, 

6 payments under subsection (b)(4),’’ after ‘‘Federal 

7 Pandemic Unemployment Compensation’’ each place 

8 it appears; and 

9 (2) in subsection (g)— 

10 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

11 the end; 

12 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking the pe13 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

14 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘(3) the purposes of the preceding provisions of 

16 this section, as such provisions apply with respect to 

17 payments under subsection (b)(4), shall be applied 

18 with respect to unemployment benefits described in 

19 subsection (i)(2) to the same extent and in the same 

20 manner as if those benefits were regular compensa21 tion.’’. 

Æ 


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