,i #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #ggfb ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,july #bc1 #bjbj ,ms4 ,torres ,small of ,new ,mexico 7for herself and ,mr4 ,horsford7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,ways and ,means ,a ,,bill ,to provide continued support for workers during the ,,covid-#ai pandemic1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,back on ,your ,feet ,act of #bjbj4 #b4 ,continued assistance to unemployed workers unable to safely return to work 7a7 ,extension of ,federal ,pandemic ,unemployment ,compensation 7#a7 ,in general ,section #bajd7;e7 of the ,,cares ,act 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #ijbc7;e77 is amended to read as follows3 7e7 ,applicability 7#a7 ,in general ,an agreement entered into under this section shall apply to weeks of unemployment-- 7,a7 beginning after the date on which such agreement is entered into2 and 7,b7 ending on or before ,january #ca1 #bjba4 7#b7 ,transition rule for individuals remaining entitled to regular compensation as of ,january #ca1 #bjba ,in the case of any individual who1 as of the date specified in paragraph 7#a77;,b71 has not yet exhausted all rights to regular compensation under the ,state law of a ,state with respect to a benefit year that began before such date1 ,federal ,pandemic ,unemployment ,compensation shall continue to be payable to such individual for any week beginning on or after such date for which the individual is otherwise eligible for regular compensation with respect to such benefit year4 7#c7 ,termination ,notwithstanding any other provision of this subsection1 no ,federal ,pandemic ,unemployment ,compensation shall be payable for any week beginning after ,july #ca1 #bjba4 4 7#b7 ,limitation on application of transition rule ,section #bajd7;g7 of such ,act is amended by inserting 7except for subsection 7e77#b77 after the preceding provisions of this section4 7#c7 ,disregard of ,federal ,pandemic ,unemployment ,compensation for certain purposes ,section #bajd7;h7 of such ,act is amended to read as follows3 7h7 ,disregard of ,federal ,pandemic ,unemployment ,compensation for purposes of all ,federal and federally assisted programs ,a ,federal ,pandemic ,unemployment ,compensation payment shall not be regarded as income and shall not be regarded as a resource for the month of receipt and the following #i months1 for purposes of determining the eligibility of the recipient 7or the recipient's spouse or family7 for benefits or assistance1 or the amount or extent of benefits or assistance1 under any ,federal program or under any ,state or local program financed in whole or in part with ,federal funds4 4 7b7 ,extension and benefit phaseout rule for ,pandemic ,unemployment ,assistance ,section #bajb7;c7 of the ,,cares ,act 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #ijba7;c77 is amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#a7-- 7,a7 by striking paragraph 7#b7 and inserting paragraphs 7#b7 and 7#c72 and 7,b7 in subparagraph 7,a77ii71 by striking ,december #ca1 #bjbj and inserting ,january #ca1 #bjba2 and 7#b7 by redesignating paragraph 7#c7 as paragraph 7#d72 and 7#c7 by inserting after paragraph 7#b7 the following3 7#c7 ,transition rule for individuals remaining entitled to ,pandemic ,unemployment ,assistance as of ,january #ca1 #bjba 7,a7 ,in general ,in the case of any individual who1 as of the date specified in paragraph 7#a77;,a77ii71 is receiving ,pandemic ,unemployment ,assistance but has not yet exhausted all rights to such assistance under this section1 ,pandemic ,unemployment ,assistance shall continue to be payable to such individual for any week beginning on or after such date for which the individual is otherwise eligible for ,pandemic ,unemployment ,assistance4 7,b7 ,termination ,notwithstanding any other provision of this subsection1 no ,pandemic ,unemployment ,assistance shall be payable for any week beginning after ,october #ca1 #bjba4 4 7c7 ,extension and benefit phaseout rule for ,pandemic ,emergency ,unemployment ,compensation ,section #bajg7;g7 of the ,,cares ,act 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #ijbe7;g77 is amended to read as follows3 7g7 ,applicability 7#a7 ,in general ,an agreement entered into under this section shall apply to weeks of unemployment-- 7,a7 beginning after the date on which such agreement is entered into2 and 7,b7 ending on or before ,january #ca1 #bjba4 7#b7 ,transition rule for individuals remaining entitled to ,pandemic ,emergency ,unemployment ,compensation as of ,january #ca1 #bjba ,in the case of any individual who1 as of the date specified in paragraph 7#a77;,a77ii71 is receiving ,pandemic ,emergency ,unemployment ,compensation but has not yet exhausted all rights to such assistance under this section1 ,pandemic ,emergency ,unemployment ,compensation shall continue to be payable to such individual for any week beginning on or after such date for which the individual is otherwise eligible for ,pandemic ,emergency ,unemployment ,compensation4 7#c7 ,termination ,notwithstanding any other provision of this subsection1 no ,pandemic ,emergency ,unemployment ,compensation shall be payable for any week beginning after ,april #cj1 #bjba4 4 #c4 ,back on ,your ,feet ,pay to support return to work 7a7 ,in general ,section #bajd7;b7 of the ,,cares ,act 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #ijbc7;b77 is amended-- 7#a7 by redesignating paragraph 7#b7 as paragraph 7#c72 and 7#b7 by inserting after paragraph 7#a7 the following3 7#b7 ,back on ,your ,feet ,pay 7,a7 ,in general ,any agreement under this section shall also provide that the ,state agency of the ,state shall make a one-time payment in the amount of #c1fjj to each individual who-- 7i7 was eligible for ,federal ,pandemic ,unemployment ,compensation under paragraph 7#a7 for any week beginning after the date of enactment of the ,back on ,your ,feet ,act of #bjbj2 and 7ii7 is no longer so eligible 7as determined by the ,state71 as a result of earnings due to commencing employment4 ,a payment made to an individual under this subparagraph shall be made as soon as practicable after the last week for which the individual is so eligible4 ,in no case may an individual receive more than one payment under this subparagraph4 7,b7 ,period of ineligibility ,notwithstanding any other provision of this section1 an individual who receives a payment under subparagraph 7,a7 shall be ineligible for ,federal ,pandemic ,unemployment ,compensation for a #f-week period beginning with the first week in which the individual commenced employment as described in such subparagraph4 7,c7 ,special rule ,payments made pursuant to an agreement under this paragraph shall not be considered to violate the withdrawal requirements of section #cjc7;a77#e7 of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #ejc7;a77#e77 or section #ccjd7;a77#d7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf4 7,d7 ,tax treatment of payment ,federal individual income tax attributable to a payment under subparagraph 7,a7 shall be deducted and withheld from such payment at a rate of #aj percent if an individual receiving such payment makes a request to the ,state for such deduction and withholding4 4 7b7 ,conforming amendments ,section #bajd of such ,act is amended-- 7#a7 by inserting and payments under subsection 7b77#b7 after ,federal ,pandemic ,unemployment ,compensation each place it appears in subsection 7d7 or 7f7 of such section2 and 7#b7 in subsection 7g71 by inserting 1 as such provisions apply with respect to ,federal ,pandemic ,unemployment ,compensation1 after the preceding provisions of this section4 7c7 ,applicability of amendments ,the amendments made by this section shall apply only in the case of ,states that receive an emergency administration grant under section #ijc7;j7 of the ,social ,security ,act4 #d4 ,state policies ensuring safe return to work and emergency transfers for unemployment claims processing and benefit administration 7a7 ,in general ,section #ijc of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #aajc7 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7j7 ,state policies to ensure safe return to work and emergency transfers for administration 7#a7 7,a7 ,in addition to any other amounts1 the ,secretary of ,labor shall provide for the making of emergency administration grants to the accounts of the ,states in the ,unemployment ,trust ,fund1 by transfer from amounts reserved for that purpose in the ,federal unemployment account1 in accordance with succeeding provisions of this subsection4 7,b7 ,the amount of an emergency administration grant with respect to a ,state shall1 as determined by the ,secretary of ,labor1 be equal to #b1jjj1jjj1jjj multiplied by the ratio that the amount certified for the base administrative grant to the ,state for fiscal year #bjbj under section #cjb7;a7 bears to the total amount certified for base administrative grants to all ,states for fiscal year #bjbj under such section4 7,c7 ,the amount described in subparagraph 7,b7 with respect to a ,state shall be transferred to the account of such ,state upon a certification by the ,secretary of ,labor to the ,secretary of the ,treasury that the ,state has provided documentation of policies1 regulations1 or laws demonstrating that the ,state will1 as a condition of the grant at least through the end of calendar year #bjba-- 7i7 provide that if unreasonable health and safety risks are present with respect to an employment position for an individual or any member of the individual's household1 due to employer safety policies or to specific risk factors of the individual or member of the individual's household 7particularly in the case of older1 immunocompromised1 or disabled individuals71 the presence of such risks constitutes good cause-- 7,i7 for the individual to separate from such employment position2 and 7,,ii7 in the case of an individual who is unemployed1 for refusing an offer of suitable employment in such employment position 7regardless of whether such offer of employment would pay wages that are equal to or greater than the individual's previous wages72 and 7ii7 provide that in the case of individuals who have received amounts of unemployment compensation to which they were not entitled1 the ,state shall require such individuals to repay the amounts of unemployment compensation to the ,state agency1 except that the ,state agency shall waive such repayment if it determines that-- 7,i7 the payment of such unemployment compensation was without fault on the part of any such individual2 and 7,,ii7 such repayment would be contrary to equity and good conscience4 7#b7 ,any amount transferred to the account of a ,state under this subsection may be used by such ,state only for the administration of its unemployment compensation law1 including information technology systems improvements and upgrades that enhance the user experience and timeliness of-- 7,a7 applying for benefits2 7,b7 processing of benefits2 7,c7 receiving benefits2 and 7,d7 implementing future policy changes including flexibility in reprogramming4 ,a ,state shall conduct user testing of any such improvements and upgrades in advance of full implementation to ensure that they will meet each of the criteria described in this paragraph1 including during any potential surges in the number of initial claims4 7#c7 ,a ,state seeking a grant under this subsection shall submit an application to the ,secretary of ,labor with such information as the ,secretary may require not later than ,june #cj1 #bjbb4 ,the ,secretary of ,labor shall assist states in meeting the conditions of receiving the grant1 including by providing technical assistance and guidance4 7#d7 7,a7 ,notwithstanding any other provision of law1 the ,secretary of the ,treasury shall transfer from the general fund of the ,treasury 7from funds not otherwise appropriated7 to the employment security administration account 7as established by section #ija of the ,social ,security ,act7 such sums as the ,secretary of ,labor estimates to be necessary for purposes of making the transfers described in paragraph 7#a77;,c74 7,b7 ,there are appropriated from the general fund of the ,treasury1 without fiscal year limitation1 the sums referred to in the preceding sentence and such sums shall not be required to be repaid4 4 7b7 ,grants to certain territories for administration of ,pandemic ,unemployment ,assistance and ,federal ,pandemic ,unemployment ,compensation 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,labor shall make an emergency grant to each of the territories specified in paragraph 7#b71 in an amount to be allocated proportionately based on population1 for the administration of ,pandemic ,unemployment ,assistance and ,federal ,pandemic ,unemployment ,compensation in such territory4 7#b7 ,eligible territories ,the ,territories specified in this paragraph are ,guam1 ,american ,samoa1 the ,commonwealth of the ,northern ,mariana ,islands1 the ,federated ,states of ,micronesia1 the ,republic of the ,marshall ,islands1 and the ,republic of ,palau4 7#c7 ,application ,a territory seeking a grant under this subsection shall submit an application to the ,secretary of ,labor with such information as the ,secretary may require not later than ,june #cj1 #bjbb4 ,the ,secretary of ,labor shall assist territories in meeting the conditions of receiving the grant1 including by providing technical assistance and guidance4 ,an application submitted by a territory for a grant under this subsection shall include documentation of policies1 regulations1 or laws demonstrating that the territory will1 as a condition of the grant at least through the end of calendar year #bjba1 satisfy the requirements of clauses 7i7 and 7ii7 of section #ijc7;j77#a77;,c7 of the ,social ,security ,act4 7#d7 ,funding ,there are appropriated from the general fund of the ,treasury1 out of any money in the ,treasury not otherwise appropriated1 #c1jjj1jjj for grants under this subsection1 to remain available until expended4 #e4 ,waiver authority for certain overpayments of ,pandemic ,unemployment ,assistance ,section #bajb7;d7 of the ,,cares ,act 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #ijba7;d77 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7#d7 ,waiver authority ,in the case of individuals who have received amounts of ,pandemic ,unemployment ,assistance to which they were not entitled1 the ,state shall require such individuals to repay the amounts of such ,pandemic ,unemployment ,assistance to the ,state agency1 except that the ,state agency shall waive such repayment if it determines that-- 7,a7 the payment of such ,pandemic ,unemployment ,assistance was without fault on the part of any such individual2 and 7,b7 such repayment would be contrary to equity and good conscience4 4 #f4 ,state reporting on claims backlogs 7a7 ,in general ,section #bajd of the ,,cares ,act 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #ijbc7 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7j7 ,state accountability relating to claims backlogs ,as a condition of any agreement under this section1 the following rules shall apply3 7#a7 ,claims reporting 7,a7 ,in general ,each ,state participating in such an agreement shall submit to the ,secretary of ,labor on a weekly basis a report on the status in the ,state of any backlog of the processing of unemployment claims1 including claims for regular compensation1 extended compensation1 ,pandemic ,unemployment ,assistance1 and ,pandemic ,emergency ,unemployment ,compensation4 ,such report shall include a description1 with respect to the previous week1 of each of the following3 7i7 ,the number of initial claims still in process1 disaggregated by the number of such claims still pending-- 7,i7 because of nonmonetary determinations2 7,,ii7 because of monetary determinations2 7,,iii7 because of suspected fraud2 and 7,,iv7 for any other reason4 7ii7 ,the number of initial claims denied4 7iii7 ,the number of individuals with respect to whom a continued claim was paid4 7iv7 ,the number of individuals with respect to whom a continued claim is still in process1 disaggregated by the number of such claims still pending-- 7,i7 because of nonmonetary determinations2 7,,ii7 because of monetary determinations2 7,,iii7 because of suspected fraud2 and 7,,iv7 for any other reason4 7v7 ,the number of individuals with respect to whom a continued claims was denied4 7,b7 ,report to ,congress ,upon receipt of a report described in subparagraph 7,a71 the ,secretary of ,labor shall publish such report on the website of the ,department of ,labor and shall submit such report to the ,committee on ,ways and ,means of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committee on ,finance of the ,senate4 7#b7 ,corrective action plans 7,a7 ,in general ,not later than #ij days after the date of enactment of this subsection and at least every #ij days thereafter1 each ,state participating in such an agreement shall submit to the ,secretary of ,labor a corrective action plan that includes a description of the actions the ,state has taken and intends to take to address any backlog of the processing of unemployment claims described in paragraph 7#a77;,a74 7,b7 ,technical assistance ,the ,secretary of ,labor shall make technical assistance available to ,states to the extent feasible to enable ,states to develop and implement corrective action plans in accordance with this paragraph4 ,if the ,secretary of ,labor determines at any time that a ,state has failed to take reasonable actions under a corrective action plan to address a claims backlog1 the ,state shall collaborate with the ,secretary to develop a subsequent corrective action plan to achieve clearly defined1 targeted outcomes4 7,c7 ,report to ,congress ,upon receipt of a corrective action plan described in subparagraph 7,a71 the ,secretary of ,labor shall publish such plan on the website of the ,department of ,labor and shall submit such report to the ,committee on ,ways and ,means of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committee on ,finance of the ,senate4 4 7b7 ,effective date ,the amendment made by subsection 7a7 shall apply with respect to weeks beginning after the date of enactment of this ,act4