An Act To Help the Unemployed Find Work
Sec. 1. 26 MRSA §1192, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2011, c. 645, §2, is further amended to read:
The individual must actively seek work each week in which a claim for benefits is filed unless the individual is participating in approved training under subsection 6 or work search has been waived in accordance with rules adopted by the commission and provide evidence of work search efforts in a manner and form as prescribed by the commission. Failure to provide required work search documentation results in a denial of benefits in accordance with section 1194, subsection 2 for the week or weeks for which no documentation was provided unless the commission determines there is good cause for the individual's failure to comply with this requirement ; .
In addition to the other requirements of this section, after receiving 13 times the individual's weekly benefit amount in a benefit year the individual must also register to work with a temporary employment agency. The commission may, by rule, waive or alter this requirement as necessary to accommodate hardship associated with this requirement for individuals not residing in reasonable proximity to a temporary employment agency. For purposes of this subsection, "temporary employment agency" means an employer that provides opportunities for individuals to perform work of a temporary nature for other employers;
Sec. 2. 26 MRSA §1194, sub-§14 is enacted to read:
summary
This bill creates a requirement that in order for an individual to maintain eligibility for unemployment benefits after receiving 13 times the individual's weekly benefit amount in a benefit year, the individual must register for temporary employment through a temporary employment agency. This bill also provides that a new claim for unemployment benefits for a claimant who has stopped filing for benefits and then begins again within the same benefit year is effective for both the week in which the claimant files and the prior week.