Back To Work Act
Bill: H.R.5363 | Sponsor: Rep. Hinson, Ashley (R-IA)
Policy area: Labor and Employment

Summary:
Back To Work Act
This bill requires the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Government Accountability Office, and the Small Business Administration to prepare a joint report on the impact of pandemic unemployment programs.

To direct the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Government Accountability 
 Office, and Small Business Administration to conduct a joint study on 
        pandemic unemployment programs, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Back To Work Act''.

SEC. 2. STUDY OF PANDEMIC UNEMPLOYMENT PROGRAMS.

    (a) In General.--The covered agency heads shall conduct a joint 
study on pandemic unemployment programs, including an analysis of the 
following:
            (1) The impact of such programs on--
                    (A) individuals, including recipients' engagement 
                in work, participation in work search, receipt of and 
                amount of earnings, receipt of and amount of other 
                government benefits, duration of unemployment, and 
                whether the recipient's total income counting all 
                benefits exceeds his or her prior earnings from work;
                    (B) businesses, with a focus on small businesses, 
                including effects on sales, profits, tax payments, 
                hours of operation, employment, and closures 
                attributable to staffing shortages related to the 
                availability of benefits; and
                    (C) the economy, including key labor market metrics 
                such as the number of employed and unemployed 
                individuals, job openings, total earnings from work, 
                the labor force participation rate, State and national 
                unemployment rates, engagement of individuals in full 
                or part time employment, average durations of 
                unemployment, and the number of long-term unemployed.
            (2) The demographics of the recipients of benefits under 
        such programs, including with respect to key characteristics of 
        recipients, including age, gender, race and ethnicity, prior 
        work experience, educational attainment, whether the individual 
        resides in an urban or rural community, whether that community 
        is considered disadvantaged, whether the individual was engaged 
        in employment immediately prior to first receiving benefits, 
        the nature of such prior employment (such as whether employed, 
        self employed, or independent contractor), whether the 
        individual engaged in partial work while collecting benefits, 
        whether such partial work was while a participant in a short-
        time compensation or another program, and the reason for 
        leaving benefits such as due to benefit exhaustion, return to 
        work, or another reason.
            (3) With respect to Pandemic Unemployment Assistance--
                    (A) the number of individuals who applied for such 
                Assistance after applying for regular unemployment 
                compensation;
                    (B) the number of individuals applying for and 
                ultimately receiving benefits, as compared with similar 
                data under the State Unemployment Compensation program, 
                and whether the program's allowance of self-
                certification of eligibility was a significant factor 
                contributing to any such differences; and
                    (C) the degree to which the backdating of claims 
                resulted in the overstatement of the apparent number of 
                Pandemic Unemployment Assistance recipients, especially 
                during the program's early months.
    (b) Early Termination of Pandemic Unemployment Program 
Participation.--In carrying out the study required under subsection 
(a), the covered agency heads shall compare States that terminated 
agreements to participate in pandemic unemployment programs prior to 
September 6, 2021, with States that maintained such agreements until 
September 6, 2021.
    (c) Report to Congress.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the covered agency heads shall provide to 
Congress a report on the results of the study required under subsection 
(a).
    (d) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Covered agency heads.--The term ``covered agency 
        heads'' means the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor 
        Statistics, the Comptroller General of the United States, and 
        the Administrator of the Small Business Administration.
            (2) Pandemic unemployment assistance.--The term ``Pandemic 
        Unemployment Assistance'' means assistance under section 2102 
        of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (15 
        U.S.C. 9021).
            (3) Pandemic unemployment programs.--The term ``pandemic 
        unemployment programs'' means--
                    (A) Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation 
                under section 2104 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and 
                Economic Security Act (15 U.S.C. 9023);
                    (B) Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation 
                under section 2107 of such Act (15 U.S.C. 9025); and
                    (C) Pandemic Unemployment Assistance.
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