AB 131

This bill provides that a claimant for unemployment insurance benefits who

reasonably expects to be reemployed by the claimant's former employer within 26

weeks is exempt from the eligibility requirement of conducting weekly searches for

suitable work.

Under current law, a claimant is generally required to conduct searches for

work each week to be eligible for unemployment benefits. Current law provides that

a claimant who is laid off is exempt from the work search requirement if the claimant

reasonably expects to be reemployed by the former employer and the Department of

Workforce Development verifies that expectation. DWD may grant a claimant a

waiver of the work search requirement under certain conditions. Administrative

rules promulgated by DWD require DWD to grant a claimant a waiver of the work

search requirement for eight weeks if the claimant reasonably expects to be

reemployed with the claimant's employer within that period. The rules permit DWD

to provide an additional four-week extension of that waiver. The rules also provide

additional reasons a claimant may qualify for a waiver.

This bill modifies current law to specifically provide that a claimant is exempt

from the work search requirement for up to 26 weeks after the week the claimant was

laid off if the claimant reasonably expects to be reemployed within that 26-week

period.