SUPPORT for New Workers Act
Bill: H.R.4015 | Sponsor: Rep. Sherrill, Mikie (D-NJ)
Policy area: Labor and Employment

Summary:
Strengthening Unemployment Programs to Provide Opportunities for Recovery and Training for New Workers Act or the SUPPORT for New Workers Act
This bill provides weekly payments to individuals who forego Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation by finding work with a new employer. An eligible individual receives a weekly payment of $180 for each week that the individual remains employed with the new employer, up to a maximum of nine weeks. This bonus payment is only available for weeks of employment after the bill is enacted and prior to September 6, 2021.
These payments, made by states under the bill, are subject to 100% federal reimbursement in the same manner as Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation payments.

To amend subtitle A of title II of division A of the CARES Act to 
 support workers as they re-enter the labor force by providing a newly 
           employed worker allowance, 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 ``Strengthening Unemployment Programs 
to Provide Opportunities for Recovery and Training for New Workers 
Act'' or the ``SUPPORT for New Workers Act''.

SEC. 2. NEWLY EMPLOYED WORKER ALLOWANCE.

    (a) In General.--Section 2104(b) of the Cares Act (Public Law 116-
136) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraph (4) as paragraph (5); and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following:
            ``(4) Newly employed worker allowance.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Any agreement under this section 
                shall provide that the State agency of the State will, 
                in addition to payments described in paragraph (1), 
                make up to 9 weekly payments for each week during the 
                benefit period, in the amount of $180, to each 
                individual who--
                            ``(i) was eligible for Federal Pandemic 
                        Unemployment Compensation under paragraph (1) 
                        or for pandemic unemployment assistance under 
                        section 2102 for any week ending on or after 
                        the date of enactment of this paragraph;
                            ``(ii) is no longer so eligible (as 
                        determined by the State), as a result of 
                        earnings due to commencing employment; and
                            ``(iii) remains employed, as verified by 
                        the individual (with notice of such payments 
                        provided to the individual's employer) on at 
                        least a biweekly basis, throughout the benefit 
                        period.
                    ``(B) Benefit period.--For purposes of this 
                paragraph, the term `benefit period' means, with 
                respect to an individual, a period--
                            ``(i) beginning on the date the individual 
                        commenced employment as described in 
                        subparagraph (A)(ii); and
                            ``(ii) ending on September 6, 2021.
                    ``(C) Timing of payments.--
                            ``(i) In general.--Payments for which an 
                        individual is eligible under this paragraph 
                        (including a one-time lump sum payment as 
                        described in clause (ii)) shall be made as soon 
                        as practicable after the individual has 
                        commenced employment as described in 
                        subparagraph (A)(ii).
                            ``(ii) One-time payment exception.--In any 
                        case in which a State certifies to the 
                        Secretary that payments under subparagraph (A) 
                        cannot be implemented, due to administrative 
                        challenges, before the date that is 3 weeks 
                        after the date of enactment of this paragraph, 
                        such State may elect, in lieu of making the 
                        payments described in such subparagraph, to 
                        make a one-time lump sum payment to each 
                        individual described in clauses (i) and (ii) of 
                        such subparagraph in an amount equal to the 
                        product of $180 multiplied by the number of 
                        weeks in the individual's benefit period.
                    ``(D) Conditions of repayment.--In any case in 
                which an individual who receives a payment under this 
                paragraph after commencing employment voluntarily 
                separates from such employment before the date that is 
                6 weeks after the date of such payment, such individual 
                shall be ineligible for regular compensation and any 
                unemployment benefits described in subsection (i)(2) 
                until such time as the individual repays all payments 
                received under this paragraph to the State agency, 
                except that this subparagraph shall not apply if the 
                individual voluntarily separated from employment for 
                the purpose of--
                            ``(i) quarantining due to a COVID-19 
                        infection or recovering from a COVID-19 
                        infection;
                            ``(ii) caring for a relative who has 
                        contracted COVID-19 or a child whose school or 
                        day care center is closed because of COVID-19; 
                        or
                            ``(iii) avoiding contraction of COVID-19 as 
                        a result of unsafe working conditions that 
                        violate OSHA health and safety regulations.
                    ``(E) Special rule.--Payments made pursuant to an 
                agreement under this paragraph shall not be considered 
                to violate the withdrawal requirements of section 
                303(a)(5) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
                503(a)(5)) or section 3304(a)(4) of the Internal 
                Revenue Code of 1986.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--Section 2104 of such Act is amended--
            (1) in subsection (b)(1), by striking ``will make 
        payments'' and inserting ``will, in addition to payments 
        described in paragraph (4), make payments'';
            (2) in subsections (d) and (f), by inserting ``, payments 
        under subsection (b)(4),'' after ``Federal Pandemic 
        Unemployment Compensation'' each place it appears; and
            (3) in subsection (h), by inserting ``, and any payment 
        under subsection (b)(4),'' after ``Federal Pandemic 
        Unemployment Compensation''.
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