April 11, 2022 Group Watch: Legislature Passes New Requirements for Unemployment Compensation
The Alabama Legislature approved a bill to add new requirements to qualify for unemployment compensation. The House passed the bill along party lines after cutting off debate. The measure, which had already passed the Senate, returned to the Senate due to House changes. The Senate accepted the changes and gave the bill final approval, sending it to the governor, who is likely to sign it into law. State law already requires a “reasonable and active effort” to find work as a condition for unemployment pay. This bill further defines that as “systematic and sustained efforts to find work including contacting at least three prospective employers for each week of unemployment claimed.” The Alabama Department of Labor would require proof of work search efforts. The Department of Labor would conduct random reviews of at least 5 percent of the work search claims.
