Date: 01/28/2009

Final
BILL SUMMARY for HB09-1076

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON BUSINESS AFFAIRS AND LABOR

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
Moved amendment L.001 (Attachment E). The motion
Moved to refer House Bill 09-1076, as amended, to
Pass Without Objection
PASS



12:23 PM -- House Bill 09-1076

Representative Pace, prime sponsor, presented House Bill 09-1076 concerning remuneration resulting from an employee's separation from employment for the purpose of calculating the postponement of unemployment insurance benefits. This bill requires that all types of payments a claimant receives when leaving employment be treated the same in calculating when the claimant can begin receiving unemployment insurance (UI) benefits and the maximum allowable benefit. Under HB09-1076, any payments received are divided by the claimant's average weekly wage to calculate postponement of claim payments on a week for week basis. After the postponement, the claimant receives full benefits. Another provision of the bill is that benefits will not be reduced for claimants who also receive social security payments.

Under current law, if an employer identifies a payment made at separation as severance pay, the claimant's UI claim payments are postponed by the number of weeks of severance pay granted and benefits are reduced by the same number of weeks. If the employer does not identify a payment as severance pay, the claimant's UI claim is postponed only for the week in which the payment was made and benefits are not reduced.

12:32 PM --
Mike Cullen, Director of the Unemployment Insurance Program in Colorado, testified in support of the bill. He talked about the current issues the department has with severance pay versus other types of pay. He explained that it does not matter what the remuneration is, whether it is sick pay, annual pay, severance pay, they should all be treated the same in calculating when the claimant can begin receiving unemployment insurance (UI) benefits and the maximum allowable benefit.

12:39 PM --
Kathy White, Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute, testified in support of the bill and distributed a handout (Attachment D).

09HouseBus0128AttachD.pdf
BILL:HB09-1076
TIME: 12:43:57 PM
MOVED:Casso
MOTION:Moved amendment L.001 (Attachment E). The motion passed without objection.
09HouseBus0128AttachE.pdf
SECONDED:Gagliardi
VOTE
Balmer
Bradford
Gagliardi
Liston
Priola
Ryden
Scanlan
Soper
Stephens
Casso
Rice
Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


BILL:HB09-1076
TIME: 12:44:40 PM
MOVED:Casso
MOTION:Moved to refer House Bill 09-1076, as amended, to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed 9-0.
SECONDED:Soper
VOTE
Balmer
Excused
Bradford
Yes
Gagliardi
Yes
Liston
Yes
Priola
Yes
Ryden
Yes
Scanlan
Yes
Soper
Yes
Stephens
Yes
Casso
Yes
Rice
Excused
Final YES: 9 NO: 0 EXC: 2 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS