SB 162: Department of workforce development. - Indiana

Senate Bill (S) → Senate Bill (H) · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was updated from its Senate version to its House-engrossed version, incorporating amendments passed by the House of Representatives. The primary substantive change involves adding four new House sponsors (Randolph Lonnie M, Pol Jr., Teshka, Vannatter, Garcia Wilburn, and Cash) to the official list of bill sponsors, while the legislative history timeline was adjusted to reflect the House's actions, including a second reading, passage, and referral to the Ways and Means Committee.

Scope change

The bill's substantive scope regarding unemployment benefits and eligibility criteria remains unchanged; the update reflects procedural progress and the addition of co-sponsors after the bill passed the Senate.

REQUIREMENT

Added four new House sponsors (Randolph Lonnie M, Pol Jr., Teshka, Vannatter, Garcia Wilburn, and Cash) to the list of bill sponsors.

TIMELINE

Updated the legislative history to include House actions, such as the bill being read a second time, amended, ordered engrossed, and passed on January 20, 2026.

Added a new entry indicating the bill was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means pursuant to Rule 126.3 on February 12, 2026.

Enrolled Senate Bill (S) → Senate Bill (S) · 7 edits

MODERATE

This bill updates Indiana's unemployment insurance laws to clarify how benefits are calculated and what counts as 'suitable work.' It removes vacation and sick pay from the list of income that reduces unemployment benefits, ensuring claimants receive full support while looking for new jobs. The bill also streamlines rules for religious and charitable organizations and modernizes outdated provisions related to dependant allowances.

Scope change

The bill applies to the Department of Workforce Development and individuals filing for unemployment benefits, extended benefits, and disaster unemployment assistance.

ELIGIBILITY

Removed vacation pay and sick pay from the definition of 'deductible income,' meaning these payments will no longer reduce an individual's unemployment benefit amount.

Added provisions allowing individuals who file disaster unemployment assistance claims to potentially receive additional benefits under specific circumstances.

DEFINITION

Narrowed the definition of 'suitable work' to apply only to extended benefit claims, clarifying when a claimant must accept a job offer.

Updated the definition of 'employment' to specifically address how it applies to religious, charitable, or educational organizations.

TECHNICAL

Removed outdated or expired provisions, including references to dependant allowances for calculating extended benefits.

REQUIREMENT

Established that the date a determination of eligibility is sent serves as prima facie evidence of proper legal service.

FISCAL

Authorized the Department of Workforce Development to make certain direct deposit disbursements under limited circumstances.

Engrossed Senate Bill (H) → Enrolled Senate Bill (S) · 4 edits · Mar 5, 2026

MODERATE

This bill updates Indiana's unemployment compensation laws to modernize definitions and adjust benefit limits. It clarifies what counts as 'suitable work' for extended benefits, ensuring individuals with poor job prospects are only required to accept work they are physically and mentally capable of performing. Additionally, it increases the maximum dollar limits for 'wage credits' used to calculate unemployment benefits for specific historical periods, ensuring these limits align with current economic data.

Scope change

The bill narrows the definition of 'suitable work' to apply only to extended benefit claims, rather than all unemployment claims, and updates the financial thresholds for wage credits to reflect higher historical values.

DEFINITION

Restricts the definition of 'suitable work' to apply solely to extended benefit claims, simplifying the rules for standard unemployment cases.

Adds new subsections to the 'wage credits' statute to define specific dollar limits for quarters starting in 2001 and later, which were previously missing or outdated.

ELIGIBILITY

Updates the criteria for 'suitable work' to explicitly state that individuals with poor job prospects must only accept work they have the physical and mental capacity to perform.

FISCAL

Increases the maximum dollar limits for 'wage credits' for calendar quarters beginning on or after July 1, 2001, through July 1, 2012, raising the caps from previous amounts to $7,300, $7,900, $8,216, $8,733, and $9,250 respectively.

Introduced Senate Bill (S) → Engrossed Senate Bill (H) · 2 edits · Feb 25, 2026

MINOR

The bill has been amended and formally adopted by the Senate, moving from its initial introduction to an engrossed version ready for final passage. The text includes updated dates reflecting the legislative timeline and a revised digest indicating the bill was amended and reported favorably. No substantive policy changes regarding funding, eligibility, or definitions were identified in the provided text.

TIMELINE

The bill's status was updated from 'Introduced' to 'Engrossed' with new dates (January 8 and January 15, 2026) reflecting that it was amended, reported favorably, and ordered for final reading.

TECHNICAL

The bill number was updated from 'SB 162' to 'SB 0162.2' to reflect the specific engrossed version number, and the digest was updated with a new revision timestamp.

Department of workforce development.

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