Unemployment Integrity Act of 2025

This bill adds new rules for people getting unemployment benefits. If asked about a job that may be available, you must respond to messages, schedule and attend interviews, take part in job-help services, and follow other reasonable requests, which can include drug tests or skills tests. Employers you apply to can tell the state if you don’t follow these requests.

The Labor Department must study whether more random audits of unemployment claims would improve the system. If the study shows it helps, the Department must increase these audits by rule. The federal government would also hold back certain extended or emergency unemployment funds from states unless the state has these work rules in its own law.

Key points:

• Who is affected: People receiving unemployment benefits, employers they apply to, and state unemployment offices.
• What changes: New “if requested” requirements to answer employers, attend interviews and job services, and possibly take drug or skills tests; a way for employers to report noncompliance; potential increase in random audits; and limits on federal extended/emergency funds to states that don’t adopt these rules.
• When: For most states, these changes start one year after the bill becomes law; states that meet every other year get until after their next session.