Reopening America by Supporting Workers and Businesses Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.2188 | Sponsor: Rep. Brady, Kevin (R-TX)
Policy area: Labor and Employment

Summary:
Reopening America by Supporting Workers and Businesses Act of 2021
This bill permits states to provide a one-time lump sum payment, through July 1, 2021, to individuals who (1) were eligible for COVID-19 pandemic unemployment compensation during any week after enactment of this bill, and (2) are no longer eligible as a result of becoming thereafter reemployed. Payments of $1,200 shall be paid to individuals who work at least 30 hours and $600 to individuals who work at least 20 hours but less than 30.
The payments are available for claimants (1) who are not employed by a government entity, (2) who return to work for at least four consecutive weeks, and (3) whose annual salary does not exceed $75,000. Before receipt of a payment, the individuals' employers must verify their hours and earnings.
Additionally, the bill (1) accelerates a scheduled increase in funding for reemployment services and eligibility assessments (RESEA), (2) allows states to use RESEA funds to serve all workers receiving unemployment benefits, and not just those most likely to exhaust their benefits; and (3) allows states to provide reemployment services to individuals receiving pandemic unemployment assistance and pandemic emergency unemployment compensation.
Finally, the bill reinstates the requirement that unemployment claimants certify they are able, available, and actively seeking work.

To provide relief to workers impacted by COVID-19 and support for 
             reopening businesses, 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 ``Reopening America by Supporting 
Workers and Businesses Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. TIME-LIMITED BACK-TO-WORK BONUSES.

    (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) Back-to-work bonuses.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Any agreement under this section 
                may also provide that the State agency of the State may 
                make a one-time lump sum payment to each individual 
                who--
                            ``(i) was eligible for Federal Pandemic 
                        Unemployment Compensation under paragraph (1) 
                        for any week beginning after the date of 
                        enactment of the Reopening America by 
                        Supporting Workers and Businesses Act of 2021;
                            ``(ii) is no longer so eligible (as 
                        determined by the State), as a result of 
                        earnings due to commencing employment; and
                            ``(iii) as verified by the individual's 
                        employer pursuant to subparagraph (E)--
                                    ``(I) has been employed by a non-
                                governmental employer throughout the 
                                individual's qualifying period;
                                    ``(II) is employed for wages 
                                equivalent to an annual salary of not 
                                more than $75,000; and
                                    ``(III) remains employed with an 
                                intent to continue such employment.
                    ``(B) Amount.--A payment made to an individual 
                under this paragraph shall be paid in a lump sum amount 
                of--
                            ``(i) $1,200 in the case of an individual 
                        who on average is working at least 30 hours or 
                        more per week during the qualifying period; or
                            ``(ii) $600 in the case of an individual 
                        who on average is working at least 20 hours or 
                        more per week, but less than 30 hours, during 
                        the qualifying period.
                    ``(C) Qualifying period.--For purposes of this 
                paragraph, the term `qualifying 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) extending at least 4 consecutive 
                        weeks from such date.
                    ``(D) Duration.--No lump sum payment may be made to 
                any individual under this paragraph with respect to a 
                qualifying period beginning on or after July 1, 2021.
                    ``(E) Employer verification.--Before making a lump 
                sum payment to an individual pursuant to this 
                paragraph, a State agency shall require verification 
                from the individual's employer--
                            ``(i) of the individual's employment 
                        status;
                            ``(ii) of the wages paid to the individual 
                        during the qualifying period; and
                            ``(iii) of the hours worked by the 
                        individual during the qualifying period.
                    ``(F) Limitation.--A State may not provide more 
                than one payment under this paragraph to an individual.
                    ``(G) 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 subsections (d) and (f), by inserting ``, payments 
        under subsection (b)(4),'' after ``Federal Pandemic 
        Unemployment Compensation'' each place it appears; and
            (2) in subsection (g)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``and'' at the 
                end;
                    (B) in paragraph (2), by striking the period at the 
                end and inserting ``; and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) the purposes of the preceding provisions of this 
        section, as such provisions apply with respect to payments 
        under subsection (b)(4), shall be applied with respect to 
        unemployment benefits described in subsection (i)(2) to the 
        same extent and in the same manner as if those benefits were 
        regular compensation.''.

SEC. 3. ACCELERATED FUNDING INCREASE FOR REEMPLOYMENT SERVICES AND 
              ELIGIBILITY ASSESSMENTS.

    Section 314(g)(1)(D) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 
U.S.C. 645(g)(1)(D)) is amended by--
            (1) in clause (i), by striking ``$133,000,000'' and 
        inserting ``$433,000,000''; and
            (2) in clause (ii), by striking ``$258,000,000'' and 
        inserting ``$433,000,000''.

SEC. 4. ELIGIBILITY FOR REEMPLOYMENT SERVICES.

    (a) CARES Act.--
            (1) Pandemic unemployment assistance.--Section 2102 of the 
        Cares Act (Public Law 116-136) is amended by adding at the end 
        the following:
    ``(i) Eligibility for Reemployment Services.--Pandemic unemployment 
assistance under this section shall be treated as unemployment 
compensation for the purposes of section 306 of the Social Security Act 
(42 U.S.C. 506).''.
            (2) Pandemic emergency unemployment compensation.--Section 
        2107 of the Cares Act (Public Law 116-136) is amended by adding 
        at the end the following:
    ``(h) Eligibility for Reemployment Services.--Pandemic emergency 
unemployment compensation under this section shall be treated as 
unemployment compensation for the purposes of section 306 of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 506).''.
    (b) Social Security Act.--Section 306(a) of the Social Security Act 
(42 U.S.C. 506(a)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``individuals referred to reemployment 
        services as described in section 303(j)'' and inserting 
        ``claimants for unemployment compensation, including claimants 
        referred to reemployment services as described in section 
        303(j),''; and
            (2) by striking ``such individuals'' and inserting ``such 
        claimants''.

SEC. 5. REINSTATING FEDERAL WORK SEARCH REQUIREMENT.

    (a) In General.--Section 4102(b) of the Families First Coronavirus 
Relief Act (26 U.S.C. 3304 note) is amended by striking ``work 
search,'' after ``with respect to''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made under subsection (a) shall 
take effect on the date that is 30 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act.
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