I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5507 
To improve the unemployment insurance program. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 8, 2021 
Mr. BEYER (for himself, Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ, Ms. BUSH, Ms. SHERRILL, Mr. 
GOMEZ, and Mr. PETERS) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Ways and Means 
A BILL 
To improve the unemployment insurance program. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Unemployment Insurance Improvement Act’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Floor on the number of weeks. 
Sec. 3. Base period. 
Sec. 4. Minimum level of prior employment. 
Sec. 5. Part-time work. 
Sec. 6. Access to benefits. 
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SEC. 2. FLOOR ON THE NUMBER OF WEEKS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 3304(a) of the Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986 is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (18), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end; 
(2) by redesignating paragraph (19) as para-
graph (20); and 
(3) by inserting after paragraph (18) the fol-
lowing new paragraph: 
‘‘(19) the minimum duration of benefits is at 
least 26 weeks and no variable duration formula 
that provides for maximum weeks of benefits of 
fewer than 26 weeks is used, or, in the case of a 
State that uses a maximum benefit entitlement, an 
individual’s maximum benefit entitlement may not 
be less than 26 times the individual’s weekly benefit 
amount; and’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
subsection (a) shall apply to weeks of unemployment be-
ginning on or after the earlier of— 
(1) the date the State changes its statutes, reg-
ulations, or policies in order to comply with such 
amendments; or 
(2) January 1, 2024. 
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SEC. 3. BASE PERIOD. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 3304(a) of the Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986, as amended by section 2, is 
amended— 
(1) in paragraph (19), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end; 
(2) by redesignating paragraph (20) as para-
graph (21); and 
(3) by inserting after paragraph (19) the fol-
lowing new paragraphs: 
‘‘(20) the State law— 
‘‘(A) uses a base period that consists of at 
least 4 completed calendar quarters preceding 
the effective date of the claim and includes the 
most recently completed calendar quarter before 
the start of the benefit year for purposes of de-
termining eligibility for unemployment com-
pensation; or 
‘‘(B) provides that, in the case of an indi-
vidual who would not otherwise be eligible for 
unemployment compensation under the State 
law because of the use of a base period that 
does not meet the requirements described in 
subparagraph (A), eligibility is determined 
using a base period that consists of at least 4 
completed calendar quarters preceding the ef-
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fective date of the claim and includes the most 
recently completed calendar quarter before the 
start of the benefit year; and’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
subsection (a) shall apply to weeks of unemployment be-
ginning on or after the earlier of— 
(1) the date the State changes its statutes, reg-
ulations, or policies in order to comply with such 
amendments; or 
(2) January 1, 2024. 
SEC. 4. MINIMUM LEVEL OF PRIOR EMPLOYMENT. 
(a) REQUIREMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 3304(a) of the In-
ternal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended by sec-
tions 2 and 3, is amended— 
(A) in paragraph (20), by striking ‘‘and’’ 
at the end; 
(B) by redesignating paragraph (21) as 
paragraph (22); and 
(C) by inserting after paragraph (20) the 
following new paragraph: 
‘‘(21) compensation is not denied to an other-
wise eligible individual if the individual earned at 
least $1,000 in covered wages during the highest 
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quarter of the base period and at least $1,500 in 
covered wages during the base period; and’’. 
(2) STATE
MAY
REDUCE
MINIMUM
THRESH-
OLDS.—Nothing in paragraph (21) of section 
3304(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as 
added by paragraph (1), shall preclude a State from 
reducing the dollar thresholds described in such 
paragraph (22). 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
subsection (a) shall apply to weeks of unemployment be-
ginning on or after the earlier of— 
(1) the date the State changes its statutes, reg-
ulations, or policies in order to comply with such 
amendments; or 
(2) January 1, 2024. 
SEC. 5. PART-TIME WORK. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 3304(a) of the Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986, as amended by sections 2, 3, and 
4, is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (21), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end; 
(2) by redesignating paragraph (22) as para-
graph (25); and 
(3) by inserting after paragraph (21) the fol-
lowing new paragraphs: 
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‘‘(22) an individual is not denied unemployment 
compensation under any State law provisions relat-
ing to ability to work, availability for work, active 
search for work, or refusal to accept work, solely on 
the basis of the number of hours of work such indi-
vidual is seeking, provided that the individual is 
seeking at least the lesser of— 
‘‘(A) 20 hours of work per week; or 
‘‘(B) a number of hours of work per week 
equal to at least one half of the typical number 
of hours worked per week in the individual’s 
base period; 
‘‘(23) an individual may claim benefits for a 
week of partial unemployment, including in cir-
cumstances where an individual has had their hours 
reduced or performs part-time work while continuing 
to search for additional part-time or full-time work, 
if their earnings are less than the individual’s weekly 
benefit amount; 
‘‘(24) when determining the weekly benefit 
amount for an individual claiming a benefit for a 
week of partial unemployment, the State disregards, 
at a minimum, earnings equal to 1⁄3 of the individ-
ual’s weekly benefit amount in computing the indi-
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vidual’s weekly benefit for partial unemployment; 
and’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
subsection (a) shall apply to weeks of unemployment be-
ginning on or after the earlier of— 
(1) the date the State changes its statutes, reg-
ulations, or policies in order to comply with such 
amendments; or 
(2) January 1, 2024. 
SEC. 6. ACCESS TO BENEFITS. 
Section 303 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
503) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
subsection: 
‘‘(n) ACCESS TO BENEFITS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than January 1, 
2024, the State agency charged with the administra-
tion of the State law shall, in accordance with stand-
ards established by the Secretary— 
‘‘(A) require that employers in the State 
provide information regarding claim-filing for 
unemployment compensation to employees upon 
separation from employment; 
‘‘(B) have in place methods for employers 
to notify the State workforce agency of employ-
ees who may apply for unemployment com-
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pensation due to short-term layoffs, business 
shutdowns, partial unemployment, and short- 
time compensation; 
‘‘(C) ensure that any online claim-filing 
system used by the State— 
‘‘(i) can be readily understood and 
used by the vast majority of applicants and 
claimants, including individuals with lim-
ited English proficiency, individuals with 
disabilities, older individuals, and individ-
uals with literacy challenges; 
‘‘(ii) is available in any language spo-
ken by more than 1 percent of the State’s 
population (with such translations com-
pleted by human translators rather than 
translation software); 
‘‘(iii) is accessible and optimized for 
all commonly used desktop computers, tab-
lets, and mobile devices and operating sys-
tems such that any features of the online 
claim filing component (such as the ability 
to upload documentation) that are avail-
able in the desktop version of the online 
claim filing component are also available in 
the tablet and mobile versions; 
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‘‘(iv) allows for electronic submission 
of documentation required to support a 
claim, including the ability of applicants 
and claimants to scan or photograph and 
submit documentation using a tablet or 
mobile device; 
‘‘(v) is available 24 hours a day, 7 
days a week, with the exception of sched-
uled and emergency maintenance that shall 
be conducted, to the extent practicable, at 
nonpeak hours; 
‘‘(vi) provides self-service account re-
covery that can be completed online; and 
‘‘(vii) deploys multiple methods of 
communication with applicants and claim-
ants, such as short message service (SMS) 
message, email, postal mail, live chat, or 
chatbots; and 
‘‘(D) ensure that alternate means of claim 
filing are available for individuals who are un-
able to file through the State’s online claim-fil-
ing system. 
‘‘(2) ENFORCEMENT.—Whenever the Secretary 
of Labor, after reasonable notice and opportunity for 
hearing to the State agency charged with the admin-
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istration of the State law, finds that there is a fail-
ure to comply substantially with the requirements of 
paragraph (1), the Secretary of Labor shall notify 
such State agency that further payments will not be 
made to the State until the Secretary of Labor is 
satisfied that there is no longer any such failure. 
Until the Secretary of Labor is so satisfied, such 
Secretary shall make no future certification to the 
Secretary of the Treasury with respect to the 
State.’’. 
Æ 
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