Source: http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb493%20intr.htm&yr=2005&sesstype=RS&i=493
Timestamp: 2017-10-24 11:41:30
Document Index: 253878143

Matched Legal Cases: ['§21', '§21', '§21', '§21', '§21', '§21', '§21', '§21', '§21', '§21', '§21']

A BILL to amend and reenact §21A-1A-17 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended; to amend and reenact §21A-2-6 of said code; to amend said code by adding thereto a new section, designated §21A-5-10c; and to amend and reenact §21A-6-1 and §21A-6-3 of said code, all relating to unemployment compensation generally; revoking and preventing contractual relationships or licensure with employers who are in default; placing a limit on the amount of wages an election official can receive in a calendar year that are not considered employment wages for unemployment compensation purposes; preventing State Unemployment Tax Act (SUTA) dumping, a method to circumvent the paying of proper unemployment compensation taxes in order to comply with federal requirements; and imposing a criminal penalty for dumping violations.
That §21A-1A-17 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted; that §21A-2-6 of said code be amended and reenacted; that said code be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated §21A-5-10c; and that §21A-6-1 and §21A-6- 3 of said code be amended and reenacted, all to read as follows:
The Commissioner is the executive and administrative head of the Bureau or and has the power and duty to:
(9) Sign and execute in the name of the state, by the "Bureau of Employment Programs," any contract or agreement with the federal government, its agencies, other states, their subdivisions or private persons;
(17) (A) Propose for promulgation rules under which agencies of this state shall revoke or not grant, issue or renew any contract, license, permit, certificate or other authority to conduct a trade, profession or business to or with any employing unit whose account is in default with the Commissioner with regard to the administration of this chapter. The term "agency" includes any unit of state government such as officers, agencies, divisions, departments, boards, commissions, authorities or public corporations. An employing unit is not in default if it has entered into a repayment agreement with the Unemployment Compensation Division of the Bureau and remains in compliance with its obligations under the repayment agreement.
(B) The rules shall provide that, before revoking, granting, issuing or renewing any contract, license, permit, certificate or other authority to conduct a trade, profession or business to or with any employing unit, the designated agencies shall review a list or lists provided by the Bureau of employers that are in default. If the employing unit's name is not on the list, the agency, unless it has actual knowledge that the employing unit is in default with the Bureau, may grant, issue or renew the contract, license, permit, certificate or other authority to conduct a trade, profession or business. The list may be provided to the agency in the form of a computerized database or databases that the agency can access. Any objections to the revocation or refusal to issue or renew shall be reviewed under the appropriate provisions of this chapter. The rules provided for by this subdivision shall be promulgated pursuant to the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code. The prohibition against granting, issuing or renewing and revocation of any contract, license, permit, certificate or other authority under this subdivision shall continue in full force and effect until the revised rules are promulgated and are in effect.
(C) The rules may be promulgated or implemented in phases so that specific agencies or specific types of contracts, licenses, permits, certificates or other authority to conduct trades, professions or businesses will be subject to the rules beginning on different dates. The presumptions of ownership or control contained in the Division of Environmental Protection's Surface Mining Reclamation Regulations promulgated under the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-two of this code are not applicable or controlling in determining the identity of employing units who are in default for the purposes of this subdivision. The rules shall also provide a procedure allowing any agency or interested person, after being covered under the rules for at least one year, to petition the Bureau of Employment Programs to be exempt from the provisions of the rules. Rules subjecting all applicable agencies and contracts, licenses, permits, certificates or other authority to conduct trades, professions or businesses to the requirements of this subdivision that were promulgated prior to the first day of October, two thousand three, shall be revised and submitted for legislative review no later than the first day of June, two thousand four;
(18) Deposit to the credit of the appropriate special revenue account or fund, notwithstanding any other provision of this code and to the extent allowed by federal law, all amounts of delinquent payments or overpayments, interest and penalties thereon, and attorneys' fees and costs collected under the provisions of this chapter. The amounts collected shall not be treated by the auditor or treasurer as part of the general revenue of the state; and
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the following shall apply regarding assignment of rates and transfers of experience:
(a) (1) If an employer transfers its trade or business, or a portion thereof, to another employer and, at the time of the transfer, there is substantially common ownership, management or control of the two employers, then the unemployment experience attributable to the transferred trade or business shall be transferred to the employer to whom such business is so transferred. The rates of both employers shall be recalculated and made effective immediately upon the date of the transfer of trade or business. The transfer of some or all of an employer's workforce to another employer shall be considered a transfer of trade or business when, as a result of such transfer, the transferring employer no longer performs trade or business with respect to the transferred workforce, and such trade or business is performed by the employer to whom the workforce is transferred.
(2) If, following a transfer of experience under paragraph (1), the Commissioner determines that a substantial purpose of the transfer of trade or business was to obtain a reduced liability for contributions, then the experience rating accounts of the employers involved shall be combined into a single account and a single rate assigned to such account.
(b) Whenever a person who is not an employer, as defined in section fifteen, article one-a, chapter twenty-one a of this code, at the time it acquires the trade or business of an employer, the unemployment experience of the acquired business shall not be transferred to such person if the Commissioner or his or her representative finds that such person acquired the business solely or primarily for the purpose of obtaining a lower rate of contributions. Instead, such person shall be assigned the applicable new employer rate under section five, article five, chapter twenty-one-a of this code. In determining whether the business was acquired solely or primarily for the purpose of obtaining a lower rate of contributions, the Commissioner or his or her representative shall use objective factors which may include the cost of acquiring the business, whether the person continued the business enterprise of the acquired business, how long such business enterprise was continued, or whether a substantial number of new employees were hired for performance of duties unrelated to the business activity conducted prior to acquisition.
(c) (1) If a person knowingly violates or attempts to violate subsection (a) or (b) or any other provision of this chapter related to determining the assignment of a contribution rate, or if a person knowingly advises another person in a way that results in a violation of such provision, the person shall be subject to the following penalties:
(A) If the person is an employer, then such employer shall be assigned the highest rate assignable under this chapter for the rate year during which such violation or attempted violation occurred and the three rate years immediately following this rate year. However, if the person's business is already at such highest rate for any year, or if the amount of increase in the person's rate would be less than two percent for such year, then a penalty rate of contributions of two percent of taxable wages shall be imposed for such year.
(B) If the person is not an employer, such person shall be subject to a civil money penalty of not more than five thousand dollars. Any such fine shall be deposited in the Special Administrative Fund Account established under section five-a, article nine, chapter twenty-one-a of this code.
(4) In addition to the penalty imposed by paragraph (1), any violation of this chapter may be prosecuted as a misdemeanor under section ten, article ten, chapter twenty-one-a of this code.
(e) For purposes of this section: --
(5) He or she has within his or her base period been paid wages for employment equal to not less than two thousand two hundred dollars and must have earned wages in more than one quarter of his or her base period; and
(6) Beginning the first day of November, one thousand nine hundred ninety-four, he or she participates in reemployment services, such as job search assistance services, if the individual has been determined to be likely to exhaust regular benefits and needs reemployment services pursuant to a profiling system established by the Commissioner, unless the Commissioner determines that:
(1) For the week in which he or she left his or her most recent work and/or his or her last thirty-day employing unit voluntarily without good cause involving fault on the part of the employer and until the individual returns to covered employment and has been employed in covered employment at least thirty working days.
For the purpose of this subdivision (1), an individual shall not be deemed is not considered to have left his or her most recent work voluntarily without good cause involving fault on the part of the employer, if such the individual leaves his or her most recent work with an employer and if he or she in fact, within a fourteen-day calendar period, does return to employment with the last preceding employer with whom he or she was previously employed within the past year prior to his or her return to work day, and which last preceding employer, after having previously employed such the individual for thirty working days or more, laid off such the individual because of lack of work, which layoff occasioned the payment of benefits under this chapter or could have occasioned the payment of benefits under this chapter had such the individual applied for such the benefits. It is the intent of this paragraph to cause no disqualification for benefits for such an individual who complies with the foregoing set of requirements and conditions. Further, for the purpose of this subdivision, an individual shall not be deemed is not considered to have left his or her most recent work voluntarily without good cause involving fault on the part of the employer, if such individual was compelled to leave his or her work for his or her own health-related reasons and presents certification from a licensed physician that his or her work aggravated, worsened, or will worsen the individual's health problem.
(1) From the date of the sale of a business, and until such time he or she is reemployed and eligible for benefits based on the wages received through new employment, if the business was a corporation and the individual was an officer or a majority or controlling shareholder in the corporation and was involved in the sale of the corporation.
(2) An individual who has been paid wages four times his or her weekly benefit amount may not use wages paid by a corporation for the determination of eligibility if the individual:
(i) Individually, or jointly with spouse, parent, sibling, or child owns or controls twenty-five percent or more interest in the corporation; or
(ii) Is the spouse, parent, sibling, or minor child of any individual who owns or controls twenty-five percent or more interest in the corporation; and
(iii) is not totally separated from employment.
(2) (3) For the week in which he or she was discharged from his or her most recent work for misconduct and the six weeks immediately following such week; or and/or for the week in which he or she was discharged from his or her last thirty-day employing unit for misconduct and the six weeks immediately following such week. Such The disqualification shall carry a reduction in the maximum benefit amount equal to six times the individual's weekly benefit. However, if the claimant returns to work in covered employment for thirty days during his or her benefit year, whether or not such these days are consecutive, the maximum benefit amount shall be increased by the amount of the decrease imposed under the disqualification; except that:
If he or she were was discharged from his or her most recent work for one of the following reasons, or and/or if he or she were was discharged from his or her last thirty days employing unit for one of the following reasons: Misconduct consisting of willful destruction of his or her employer's property; assault upon the person of his or her employer or any employee of his or her employer; if such assault is committed at such individual's place of employment or in the course of employment; reporting to work in an intoxicated condition, or being intoxicated while at work; reporting to work under the influence of any controlled substance, or being under the influence of any controlled substance while at work; arson, theft, larceny, fraud or embezzlement in connection with his or her work; or any other gross misconduct; he or she shall be and remain disqualified for benefits until he or she has thereafter worked for at least thirty days in covered employment: Provided, That for the purpose of this subdivision the words "any other gross misconduct" shall include, but not be limited to, any act or acts of misconduct where the individual has received prior written warning that termination of employment may result from such act or acts.
(3) (4) For the week in which he or she failed without good cause to apply for available, suitable work, accept suitable work when offered, or return to his or her customary self-employment when directed to do so by the Commissioner, and for the four weeks which immediately follow for such additional period as any offer of suitable work shall continue open for his or her acceptance. Such The disqualification shall carry a reduction in the maximum benefit amount equal to four times the individual's weekly benefit amount.
(4) (5) For a week in which his or her total or partial unemployment is due to a stoppage of work which exists because of a labor dispute at the factory, establishment or other premises at which he or she was last employed, unless the commissioner is satisfied that he or she (1) was not participating, financing, or directly interested in such dispute, and (2) did not belong to a grade or class of workers who were participating, financing or directly interested in the labor dispute which resulted in the stoppage of work. No disqualification under this subdivision shall be imposed if the employees are required to accept wages, hours or conditions of employment substantially less favorable than those prevailing for similar work in the locality, or if employees are denied the right of collective bargaining under generally prevailing conditions, or if an employer shuts down his or her plant or operation or dismisses his or her employees in order to force wage reduction, changes in hours or working conditions.
For the purpose of this subdivision, if any stoppage of work continues longer than four weeks after the termination of the labor dispute which caused stoppage of work, there shall be a rebuttable presumption that part of the stoppage of work which exists after said period of four weeks after the termination of said the labor dispute did not exist because of said the labor dispute; and in such this event the burden shall be is upon the employer or other interested party to show otherwise.
(6) (7) For the week in which an individual has voluntarily quit employment to marry or to perform any marital, parental or family duty, or to attend to his or her or her personal business or affairs and until the individual returns to covered employment and has been employed in covered employment at least thirty working days.
(7) (8) Benefits shall may not be paid to any individual on the basis of any services, substantially all of which consist of participating in sports or athletic events or training or preparing to so participate, for any week which commences during the period between two successive sport seasons (or similar periods) if such the individual performed such the services in the first of such seasons (or similar periods) and there is a reasonable assurance that such individual will perform such these services in the later of such seasons (or similar periods).
(8) (9) (a) Benefits shall may not be paid on the basis of services performed by an alien unless such the alien is an individual who was lawfully admitted for permanent residence at the time such the services were performed, was lawfully present for purposes of performing such the services, or was permanently residing in the United States under color of law at the time such these services were performed (including an alien who is lawfully present in the United States as a result of the application of the provisions of section 203(a)(7) or section 212(d)(5) of the Immigration and Nationality Act): Provided, That any modifications to the provisions of section 3304(a)(14) of the Federal Unemployment Tax Act as provided by Public Law 94-566 which specify other conditions or other effective date than stated herein for the denial of benefits based on services performed by aliens and which modifications are required to be implemented under state law as a condition for full tax credit against the tax imposed by the federal Unemployment Tax Act shall be deemed is considered applicable under the provisions of this section;
(c) In the case of an individual whose application for benefits would otherwise be approved, no determination that benefits to such the individual are not payable because of his or her alien status shall be made except upon a preponderance of the evidence.
(9) (10) For each week in which an individual is unemployed because, having voluntarily left employment to attend a school, college, university or other educational institution, he or she is attending such a school, college, university or other educational institution, or is awaiting entrance thereto or is awaiting the starting of a new term or session thereof, and until the individual returns to covered employment.
(10) (11) For each week in which he or she is unemployed because of his or her request, or that of his or her duly authorized agent, for a vacation period at a specified time that would leave the employer no other alternative but to suspend operations.
(11) (12) For each week with respect to which he or she is receiving or has received benefits under Title II of the Social Security Act or similar payments under any act of Congress and/or remuneration in the form of an annuity, pension or other retirement pay from a base period and/or chargeable employer or from any trust or fund contributed to by a base period and/or chargeable employer, the weekly benefit amount payable to such this individual for such the week shall be reduced (but not below zero) by the prorated weekly amount of said benefits, payments and/or remuneration: Provided, That if such the amount of benefits is not a multiple of one dollar, it shall be computed to the next lowest multiple of one dollar: Provided, however, That there shall be no disqualification if in the individual's base period there are no wages which were paid by the base period and/or chargeable employer paying such the remuneration, or by a fund into which the employer has paid during said the base period. Claimant may be required to certify as to whether or not he or she is receiving or has been receiving remuneration in the form of an annuity, pension or other retirement pay from a base period and/or chargeable employer or from a trust fund contributed to by a base period and/or chargeable employer.
(12) (13) For each week in which and for fifty-two weeks thereafter, beginning with the date of the decision, if the Commissioner finds such individual, who within twenty-four calendar months immediately preceding such the decision, has made a false statement or representation knowing it to be false or knowingly fails to disclose a material fact, to obtain or increase any benefit or payment under this article: Provided, That disqualification under this subdivision shall does not preclude prosecution under section seven, article ten of this chapter.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to require that state agencies revoke contractual relationships or licenses where employer is in default for failure to pay unemployment taxes; change the requirement that an employee present a physician certification to the employer prior to leaving employment rather than after the fact; change the requirement for corporate officers to be reemployed after the sale of a corporation in order to be eligible to receive benefits in the case of total unemployment; and change the requirement to limit benefits when the corporation is owned by family members holding at least twenty five percent interest in the corporation in the case of partial unemployment; to place a limit on the amount of wages an election official can receive in a calendar year that are not considered employment wages for unemployment compensation purposes; and prevent State Unemployment Tax Act (SUTA) dumping, a method to circumvent the paying of proper unemployment compensation taxes, complying with federal requirements; and may impose a criminal penalty for dumping violations.
§21A-5-10c is new; therefore, strike-throughs and underscoring have been omitted.