Unemployment insurance: extended benefits.

Existing law provides that, for purposes of eligibility for federal-state extended benefits, an individual have earnings that exceed either 40 times his or her most recent weekly benefit amount or 1.5 times the highest quarter in the base period, and precludes the implementation of the alternative eligibility requirement for federal-state extended benefits unless the Director of the Employment Development Department determines that these provisions have been approved by the United States Department of Labor. The federal Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2008 created the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) Program on June 30, 2008, which provides for the payment of up to 13 weeks of federally funded emergency unemployment compensation (EUC) benefits to eligible unemployed individuals nationwide who had already collected all regular state benefits for which they were eligible. The federal Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2008, which was enacted on November 21, 2008, further expanded the EUC Program to provide for the payment of 20 weeks of benefits nationwide, and provides for the payment of 13 more weeks of benefits to eligible unemployed individuals in states with high unemployment rates, as determined by specified criteria. The federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which was enacted on February 17, 2009, extends to May 31, 2010, the period of time during which claims for EUC benefits can be filed and paid. The bill would provide for the payment of temporary federal-state EUC benefits authorized under the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2008, the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2008, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to eligible individuals in this state for weeks of unemployment on or after February 1, 2009, and continuing until the week ending 3 weeks prior to the last week for which specified provisions providing for 100% federal sharing authorized under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, except as provided, if specified economic indicators trigger the payment of those benefits. Because the bill would provide for the payment of additional amounts from the Unemployment Fund, a continuously appropriated special fund, it would make an appropriation. The California Constitution authorizes the Governor to declare a fiscal emergency and to call the Legislature into special session for that purpose. The Governor issued a proclamation declaring a fiscal emergency, and calling a special session for this purpose, on December 19, 2008. This bill would state that it addresses the fiscal emergency declared by the Governor by proclamation issued on December 19, 2008, pursuant to the California Constitution. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.