Unemployment Compensation - As enacted, removes a requirement that work be deemed suitable for a claimant if certain criteria are met and a claimant's gross weekly wages equal or exceed certain threshold percentages of the claimant's weekly wage for insured work for the quarter of the base period when the claimant's wages were greatest. - Amends TCA Section 50-7-303.

HB 2542 amends Tennessee's unemployment law (TCA § 50-7-303) by removing a requirement that claimants' gross weekly wages from new work must equal or exceed specific percentages of their highest-earning quarter during their base period. This change directly affects unemployed workers seeking benefits who accept new jobs, as it eliminates a wage threshold that previously determined if work was "suitable" for unemployment purposes. The bill deletes specific subsections (i)-(iv) and the percentage thresholds from the existing law, simplifying the criteria for determining suitable work. The policy change aims to make it easier for claimants to accept available jobs without meeting strict wage comparisons. The bill is currently pending in the Commerce Committee as of March 2026.