I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7821 
To automatically extend and adjust enhanced unemployment assistance for 
the duration of the COVID-19 emergency and economic crisis, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 29, 2020 
Mr. BEYER (for himself, Mr. KILMER, Mr. PETERS, Mr. HECK, Ms. WEXTON, 
Mr. HASTINGS, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. SOTO, Mr. 
YARMUTH, Ms. DEAN, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Ms. FRANKEL, Mr. RYAN, 
Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Ms. JUDY CHU of California, 
Mr. KIND, Mr. HUFFMAN, Ms. NORTON, Ms. SEWELL of Alabama, Miss 
RICE of New York, Mr. PANETTA, Ms. SHERRILL, Ms. WASSERMAN 
SCHULTZ, Mrs. FLETCHER, Ms. SCHRIER, Ms. SHALALA, Mr. HIMES, 
Mr. MORELLE, Ms. KUSTER of New Hampshire, Mr. MEEKS, Mr. CASE, 
Ms. DELBENE, Mrs. TORRES of California, and Mr. SCHNEIDER) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways 
and Means 
A BILL 
To automatically extend and adjust enhanced unemployment 
assistance for the duration of the COVID-19 emergency 
and economic crisis, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Worker Relief and Se-
curity Act of 2020’’. 
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SEC. 2. TIERED EXPANSION OF PANDEMIC UNEMPLOY-
MENT ASSISTANCE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 2102(c) of the CARES 
Act (15 U.S.C. 9021(c)) is amended— 
(1) by amending paragraph (2) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(2) DURATION
OF
ASSISTANCE.—The total 
number of weeks for which a covered individual may 
receive assistance under this section shall be equal 
to— 
‘‘(A) in the case of a covered individual 
who first becomes eligible for assistance under 
an agreement with a State under this section 
beginning with any week ending on or before 
January 31, 2021, the sum of— 
‘‘(i) the number of weeks sufficient to 
provide for the payment of pandemic un-
employment assistance to such individual 
for each week ending on or before such 
date with respect to which such agreement 
is in effect; and 
‘‘(ii) the number of weeks, beginning 
with the 1st week ending after such date, 
determined with respect to such State for 
such week under paragraph (4); and 
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‘‘(B) in the case of a covered individual 
who first becomes eligible for assistance under 
an agreement with a State under this section 
beginning with any week after the week ending 
on or before such date, the number of weeks, 
beginning with the 1st week for which the cov-
ered individual becomes so eligible, determined 
with respect to such State for such week under 
paragraph (4).’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(4) WEEKS OF ASSISTANCE AFTER JANUARY 
2021.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The number of weeks 
determined with respect to a State under this 
paragraph with respect to the reference week of 
a covered individual shall be the applicable 
number of weeks specified with respect to such 
State for the covered individual in the table 
provided in subparagraph (B), except that— 
‘‘(i) in any case in which a State is 
designated under section 2115(a) as a 
higher tier State for any 3-month period 
subsequent to the 3-month period in which 
the reference week of a covered individual 
ends, the applicable number of weeks spec-
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ified in such table with respect to a State 
designated as such a higher tier State shall 
be substituted for the number of weeks 
otherwise applicable for such covered indi-
vidual; and 
‘‘(ii) if for any 3-month period de-
scribed in section 2115(a) the national un-
employment rate (as determined by the 
Secretary of Labor for the base period con-
sisting of the most recent 13-week period 
ending not less than 14 days before the be-
ginning of such quarter) is less than 5.5 
percent and has decreased for at least the 
last 2 months of such 3-month period, the 
applicable number of weeks with respect to 
a State designated under section 2115(a) 
as a Tier I State shall be zero in any case 
in which the reference week of a covered 
individual ends in any subsequent 3-month 
period. 
‘‘(B) TIERED
EXTENSIONS.—The table 
provided in this subparagraph is as follows: 
‘‘If the reference week of a covered individual 
ends in a 3-month period for which the State has 
been designated under section 2115(a) as a... 
The applicable number of 
weeks for the covered indi-
vidual is... 
Tier I State or Tier II State .................................
Tier III State .........................................................
Tier IV State .........................................................
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‘‘If the reference week of a covered individual 
ends in a 3-month period for which the State has 
been designated under section 2115(a) as a... 
The applicable number of 
weeks for the covered indi-
vidual is... 
Tier V State ...........................................................
Tier VI State .........................................................
65. 
‘‘(C) REFERENCE WEEK.—For purposes of 
this paragraph, the term ‘reference week’ of a 
covered individual means the 1st week ending 
after January 31, 2021, for which the covered 
individual is eligible for assistance under an 
agreement with a State under this section.’’. 
(b) ELIGIBILITY EXPANSION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 2102(a)(3) of the 
CARES Act (15 U.S.C. 9021(a)(3)) is amended to 
read as follows: 
‘‘(3) COVERED
INDIVIDUAL.—The term ‘cov-
ered individual’ means an individual who is not eligi-
ble for regular compensation under State or Federal 
law or pandemic emergency unemployment com-
pensation under section 2107 and who— 
‘‘(A)(i) has exhausted all rights to such 
regular compensation and pandemic emergency 
unemployment compensation (within the mean-
ing of section 2107(a)(3)); and 
‘‘(ii) would be eligible for regular com-
pensation but for the exhaustion of such rights; 
or 
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Such term does not include an individual 
who has the ability to telework with pay or 
who is receiving paid sick leave or other 
paid leave benefits, regardless of whether 
such individual otherwise meets the re-
quirements of subparagraph (B)(i)(I).’’. 
(2) EXPANSION OF ELIGIBILITY RELATED TO 
ECONOMIC
CONSEQUENCES
OF
COVID-19.—Section 
2102(a)(2) 
of 
the 
CARES 
Act 
(15 
U.S.C. 
9021(a)(2)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(2) COVID-19
NATIONAL
EMERGENCY.—The 
term ‘COVID-19 national emergency’ means the 
public health emergency declared by the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services on January 27, 2020, 
with respect to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus, and its 
macroeconomic consequences.’’. 
(3) EXTENSION
OF
ELIGIBILITY
TO
INDIVID-
UALS
WITHOUT
A
RECENT
ATTACHMENT
TO
THE 
LABOR FORCE.—Section 2102(b) of the CARES Act 
(15 U.S.C. 9021(b)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(b) ASSISTANCE FOR UNEMPLOYMENT AS A RE-
SULT OF COVID–19 NATIONAL EMERGENCY.—Subject to 
subsection (c), the Secretary shall provide pandemic un-
employment assistance— 
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‘‘(1) to any covered individual while such indi-
vidual is unemployed, partially unemployed, or un-
able to work for the weeks of such unemployment 
with respect to which the individual is not entitled 
to any other unemployment compensation (as that 
term is defined in section 85(b) of title 26, United 
States Code) or waiting period credit; and 
‘‘(2) to any other individual for weeks with re-
spect to which the individual would be a covered in-
dividual but for the individual’s lack of a recent at-
tachment to the labor force.’’. 
(4) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 2102 
of the CARES Act (15 U.S.C. 9021) is amended— 
(A) in subsection (c)(1), by striking 
‘‘COVID-19’’ and inserting ‘‘the COVID-19 na-
tional emergency’’ each place it appears; and 
(B) in subsection (h)(1), by striking 
‘‘COVID–19 public health emergency’’ and in-
serting ‘‘COVID-19 national emergency’’. 
(c) COORDINATION WITH EXTENDED COMPENSA-
TION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 2102(f) of such Act 
(15 U.S.C. 9021(f)) is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
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‘‘(4) COORDINATION
WITH
EXTENDED
COM-
PENSATION.—An agreement under this section shall 
apply with respect to a State only upon a determina-
tion by the Secretary that, under the State law or 
other applicable rules of such State, the payment of 
extended compensation for which an individual is 
otherwise eligible must be deferred until after the 
payment of any pandemic unemployment assistance 
under subsection (b) for which the individual is con-
currently eligible.’’. 
(2) 
CONFORMING
AMENDMENT.—Section 
2102(a)(3)(A)(i) 
of 
such 
Act 
(15 
U.S.C. 
9021(a)(3)(A)(i)) is amended by striking ‘‘or ex-
tended benefits’’ each place it appears. 
(d) APPLICABILITY.—Section 2102(c)(1) of such Act 
(15 U.S.C. 9021(c)(1)) is amended— 
(1) by amending subparagraph (A) to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(A) for weeks of unemployment, partial 
unemployment, or inability to work caused by 
COVID–19 beginning on or after January 27, 
2020; and’’; and 
(2) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘subject to 
subparagraph (A)(ii),’’. 
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SEC. 3. TIERED EXTENSION OF FEDERAL PANDEMIC UNEM-
PLOYMENT COMPENSATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 2104(b) of the CARES 
Act (15 U.S.C. 9023(b)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘(B) an addi-
tional amount’’ and all that follows through the end 
and inserting the following: 
‘‘(B) an additional amount (in this section 
referred to as ‘Federal Pandemic Unemploy-
ment Compensation’) of— 
‘‘(i) for weeks with respect to which 
such agreement is in effect ending on or 
before the date that is 30 days after the 
date on which any national emergency de-
clared by the President under the National 
Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) 
relating to COVID-19 (or any extension 
thereof) terminates, including the national 
emergency declared on March 13, 2020, 
and any subsequent national emergency, 
$600; 
‘‘(ii) for the subsequent 13 weeks with 
respect to which such agreement is in ef-
fect ending after such date, $450; 
‘‘(iii) for any week with respect to 
which such agreement is in effect following 
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the weeks described in clause (ii), the ap-
plicable dollar amount specified with re-
spect to such State for such week in the 
table provided in paragraph (2), except 
that— 
‘‘(I) if the first such week ends in 
the last month of a 3-month period 
for which a State has received a des-
ignation under section 2115(a), the 
applicable dollar amount for the first 
such week and for any subsequent 
weeks ending during such 3-month pe-
riod shall be $450; and 
‘‘(II) if for any 3-month period 
described in section 2115(a) the na-
tional unemployment rate (as deter-
mined by the Secretary of Labor for 
the base period consisting of the most 
recent 13-week period ending not less 
than 14 days before the beginning of 
such quarter) is less than 5.5 percent 
and has decreased for at least the last 
2 months of such 3-month period, the 
applicable dollar amount with respect 
to a State designated under section 
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2115(a) as a Tier I State, Tier II 
State, or Tier III State shall be $0 for 
any week ending in any subsequent 3- 
month period. 
Notwithstanding clause (i), in any case in which a 
subsequent national emergency is declared by the 
President under the National Emergencies Act (50 
U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) relating to COVID-19 during 
the last 2 months of a 3-month period for which a 
State has received a designation under section 
2115(a), the applicable dollar amount for the first 
week ending on or before the date that is 30 days 
after the date of such declaration, and for any sub-
sequent weeks during such 3-month period shall be 
the amount determined under clause (iii).’’; 
(2) by redesignating paragraph (2) as para-
graph (3); and 
(3) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(2) TIERED COMPENSATION AMOUNTS.—The 
table provided in this paragraph is as follows: 
‘‘If a week ends in a 3-month period for which a 
State has been designated under section 2115(a) 
as a... 
The applicable dollar 
amount for such week shall 
be equal to... 
Tier I State, Tier II State, or Tier III State ........
$200 
Tier IV State, Tier V State, or Tier VI State ......
$300.’’. 
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(b) APPLICABILITY.—Section 2104(e) of such Act 
(15 U.S.C. 9023(e)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(b) APPLICABILITY.—An agreement entered into 
under this section shall apply to weeks of unemployment 
beginning after the date on which such agreement is en-
tered into.’’. 
SEC. 4. EXTENSION OF PANDEMIC EMERGENCY UNEMPLOY-
MENT COMPENSATION THROUGH CALENDAR 
YEAR 2020. 
Section 2107 of the CARES Act (15 U.S.C. 9025) 
is amended— 
(1) in subsection (b)(2), by striking ‘‘13 times’’ 
and all that follows through the end and inserting 
‘‘the product of— 
‘‘(A) the individual’s average weekly ben-
efit amount, which includes the amount of Fed-
eral Pandemic Unemployment Compensation 
under section 2104, for the benefit year; and 
‘‘(B) the number of weeks sufficient to 
provide for the payment of pandemic emergency 
unemployment compensation to the individual 
for each week with respect to which the agree-
ment entered into under this section is in ef-
fect.’’; and 
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(2) in subsection (g)(2), by striking ‘‘December 
31, 2020’’ and inserting ‘‘January 31, 2021’’. 
SEC. 5. DESIGNATION OF STATE UNEMPLOYMENT TIERS. 
Subtitle A of title II of division B of the CARES Act 
(15 U.S.C. 9021 et seq.) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating sections 2115 and 2116 as 
sections 2116 and 2117, respectively; and 
(2) by inserting after section 2114 the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘SEC. 2115. STATE UNEMPLOYMENT TIERS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—For the 3-month period begin-
ning with February 2021, and for each subsequent 3- 
month period, the Secretary of Labor shall designate each 
State according to the following table: 
‘‘If the quarterly unemployment rate in a State 
with respect to a 3-month period is... 
The State shall be des-
ignated for such 3-month 
period as a... 
less than 5.5 percent ..............................................
Tier I State 
equal to or greater than 5.5 percent but less than 
6.5 percent.
Tier II State 
equal to or greater than 6.5 percent but less than 
7.5 percent.
Tier III State 
equal to or greater than 7.5 percent but less than 
8.5 percent.
Tier IV State 
equal to or greater than 8.5 percent but less than 
9.5 percent.
Tier V State 
equal to or greater than 9.5 percent .....................
Tier VI State. 
‘‘(b) QUARTERLY UNEMPLOYMENT RATE.—For pur-
poses of this section, the term ‘quarterly unemployment 
rate’ means, with respect to a State for a 3-month period 
described in subsection (a), the average rate of total unem-
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ployment in such State (seasonally adjusted), to be deter-
mined by the Secretary of Labor, for the period consisting 
of the most recent 13-week period ending not less than 
14 days before the beginning of such 3-month period. 
‘‘(c) STATE.—For purposes of this section, the term 
‘State’ includes the District of Columbia, the Common-
wealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, Amer-
ican Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic 
of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau.’’. 
SEC. 6. ADDITIONAL EMERGENCY TRANSFERS FOR UNEM-
PLOYMENT 
COMPENSATION 
ADMINISTRA-
TION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 903 of the Social Security 
Act (42 U.S.C. 1103) is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘Additional emergency transfers in fiscal year 2020 
for administration 
‘‘(j)(1)(A) In addition to any other amounts (includ-
ing amounts provided under subsection (h)), the Secretary 
of Labor shall provide for the making of emergency ad-
ministration grants in fiscal year 2020 to the accounts of 
the States in the Unemployment Trust Fund, in accord-
ance with succeeding provisions of this subsection. 
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‘‘(B) The amount of an emergency administration 
grant with respect to a State shall, as determined by the 
Secretary of Labor, be equal to the amount obtained by 
multiplying $5,000,000,000 by the same ratio as would 
apply under subsection (a)(2)(B) for purposes of deter-
mining such State’s share of any excess amount (as de-
scribed in subsection (a)(1)) that would have been subject 
to transfer to State accounts, as of October 1, 2019, under 
the provisions of subsection (a). 
‘‘(2) Any amount transferred to the account of a 
State under this subsection may be used by such State 
only for the administration of its unemployment com-
pensation law. 
‘‘(3)(A) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
the Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer from the gen-
eral fund of the Treasury (from funds not otherwise ap-
propriated) to the employment security administration ac-
count (as established by section 901 of the Social Security 
Act) such sums as the Secretary of Labor estimates to 
be necessary for purposes of making the transfers de-
scribed in paragraph (1)(C). 
‘‘(B) There are appropriated from the general fund 
of the Treasury, without fiscal year limitation, the sums 
referred to in the preceding sentence and such sums shall 
not be required to be repaid.’’. 
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(b) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary of Labor may 
prescribe any regulations, operating instructions, or other 
guidance necessary to carry out the amendment made by 
subsection (a). 
Æ 
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