Coronavirus Worker Relief Act

Bill: 116-s-3476
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI]
Introduced: 2020-03-12
Policy area: Emergency Management
Subjects: Cardiovascular and respiratory health

Disaster relief and insurance

Emergency medical services and trauma care

Infectious and parasitic diseases

Presidents and presidential powers, Vice Presidents

Self-employed

Unemployment

Wages and earnings
Latest action: action_date: 2020-03-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Summaries:
action_date: 2020-03-12
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><b>Coronavirus Worker Relief Act</b></p> <p>This bill provides for unemployment benefits to workers affected by the coronavirus (i.e., the virus that causes COVID-19).</p> <p>In any major disaster emergency declared by the President related to the coronavirus, the President may provide assistance for unemployment and lost wages, including by expanding the eligibility for assistance.</p> <p>An individual in an area for which such a declaration is declared shall be eligible for unemployment assistance if he or she</p> <ul> <li>has experienced a week of unemployment in such area as a result of the coronavirus; </li> <li>has good cause to voluntarily reduce regular work hours or refuse a bona fide offer of employment, or, in the case of an unemployed self-employed individual, refuses to resume or commence suitable self-employment, for a reason such as illness or incapacity, family crises, or changed individual or family circumstances in the area, as a result of the coronavirus; or </li> <li>is unable to work due to the immediate federal, state, tribal, or local government response to the coronavirus.</li></ul> <p>The assistance authorized for a week of unemployment shall be not less than the weekly amount authorized under the unemployment compensation law of the state for which the disaster declaration was issued. </p> <p>The state unemployment compensation requirement that an individual be able to work, available to work, and actively seeking work shall not apply. Compensation shall be made to an individual otherwise eligible without any waiting period.</p>

tv_txt: II 116th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 3476 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES March 12, 2020 Mr. Peters (for himself, Mr. Daines , Mr. Blumenthal , Ms. Klobuchar , Ms. Hirono , Mr. Romney , Mr. Schatz , and Mr. Young ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs A BILL To provide for unemployment benefits to workers affected by the 2019 Novel Coronavirus.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Coronavirus Worker Relief Act . 2. Emergency declarations or disaster declarations for coronavirus (a) Definitions In this section, the definitions in section 102 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act ( 42 U.S.C. 5122 ) shall apply. (b) Authority In any emergency declared by the President under section 501 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act ( 42 U.S.C. 5191 ) related to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus, in addition to the assistance authorized by section 502 of such Act, the President may provide assistance under section 410 of such Act ( 42 U.S.C. 5177 ) for unemployment and lost wages, including by expanding the eligibility for assistance in accordance with subsection (d). (c) Application to major disaster declarations For any major disaster declared under section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act ( 42 U.S.C. 5191 ) for the 2019 Novel Coronavirus, the expanded eligibility criteria in subsection (d) shall apply. (d) Additional eligibility criteria In addition to the eligibility criteria for individuals established under section 410 of Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act ( 42 U.S.C. 5177 ), individuals in an area for which an emergency declaration or disaster declaration for the 2019 Novel Coronavirus described in subsection (b) is declared shall be eligible for unemployment assistance under such section 410 if— (1) the individual has experienced a week of unemployment in the area with an active emergency declaration or disaster declaration for the 2019 Novel Coronavirus, and as a result of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus; (2) the individual has good cause to voluntarily reduce regular work hours or refuse a bona fide offer of employment, or, in the case of an unemployed self-employed individual, refuse to resume or commence suitable self-employment, for a reason such as illness or incapacity, family crises, or changed individual or family circumstances in the area for which the emergency declaration or disaster declaration was issued, and as a result of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus; or (3) the individual is unable to work due to the result of the immediate Federal, State, Tribal, or local government response to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus, such as— (A) the inaccessibility of the place of employment in the area for which the emergency declaration or disaster declaration was issued due to closure of the place of employment by or at the request of the Federal, State, Tribal, or local government as a result of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus; or (B) the employer of the individual, or the business in the case of a unemployed self-employed individual, prior to the emergency declaration or disaster declaration being issued, received at least a significant amount of the revenue or income of the employer or business, as the case may be, from entities that— (i) are located in the area for which the emergency declaration or disaster declaration was issued; and (ii) were closed by the Federal, State, Tribal, or local government in immediate response to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus. (e) Minimum amount of assistance The assistance authorized under this section for a week of unemployment shall be not less than the weekly amount authorized under the unemployment compensation law of the State for which the emergency declaration or disaster declaration was issued. (f) Waiver of State requirements Notwithstanding State law, for purposes of assistance authorized under this section— (1) the requirement that an individual be able to work, available to work, and actively seeking work shall not apply; and (2) compensation under section 410 of Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act ( 42 U.S.C. 5177 ) shall be made to an individual otherwise eligible for such compensation without any waiting period.