Sponsors (7)
The bill aims to preserve extended federal unemployment benefits and reduce improper payments by tying funding to stricter work-related requirements and federal certification—but it increases the risk that individuals or entire states will lose benefits, raises privacy and administrative burdens, and concentrates discretionary power with federal authorities.
Unemployed workers in states that meet the new work-related requirements will continue to receive extended federal unemployment benefits, and states are given up to one year (or until their next legislative session) to come into compliance, reducing the risk of sudden funding cuts.
Strengthens oversight and program integrity—through expanded BAM audits and a federal certification—helping identify and reduce improper payments and encouraging more uniform minimum standards across states.
Unemployed workers who participate in reemployment services, interviews, and assessments may return to work sooner, shortening unemployment duration and reducing time on benefits.
If a state fails to obtain the Secretary of Labor's certification, millions of unemployed workers in that state could lose access to extended federal unemployment payments.
Individual claimants risk losing weekly unemployment benefits (and facing increased financial strain) for failing to attend required interviews, take drug tests, or complete assessments.
Mandatory drug testing and skills assessments raise privacy and civil liberties concerns and could disproportionately disadvantage people with disabilities and those with substance-use disorders.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Makes UI eligibility conditional on claimant compliance with work-related requests, requires State reporting of noncompliance, and ties federal transfers to State law changes.
Introduced February 7, 2025 by Chuck Edwards · Last progress February 7, 2025
Requires most regular unemployment insurance (UI) claimants to respond to employer or State requests tied to potentially available work — including scheduling and attending interviews and reemployment services, and complying with reasonable requests such as drug tests and skill assessments — as a condition of benefit eligibility. States must offer a voluntary reporting channel for prospective employers or others to report claimant noncompliance. The Department of Labor must study whether increasing random Benefit Accuracy Measurement audits helps State UI administration and, if warranted, issue regulations to increase audits. Also conditions transfers from the extended unemployment compensation account to State UI accounts on a Labor Department certification that a State’s law contains the required work-related eligibility provisions; includes timing rules that generally make the changes effective one year after enactment, with delayed implementation for States whose legislatures are not in session during that year.