Unemployment insurance coverage-period and reporting. | 25LSO-0704, 1.1 |
FISCAL NOTE
This bill contains an appropriation of $18,000 from the GENERAL FUND to the Department of Workforce Services (DWS).
DETAIL OF APPROPRIATION
Agency #: 053 Agency Name: Department of Workforce Services
Unit: 0301 (Unemployment Insurance Administration)
EXPENDITURE BY SERIES AND YEAR | FY 2025 | FY 2026 | FY 2027 |
0900 Contractual Services Costs | $0 | $18,000 | $0 |
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Total Expenditure Per Year: | $0 | $18,000 | $0 |
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Grand Total Expenditure: | $18,000 |
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Total Appropriated to Agency: | $18,000 |
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Total Appropriated by Fund: |
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GENERAL FUND | $18,000 |
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Description of appropriation:
DWS indicates this appropriation will be used to make the necessary changes to the Wyoming Unemployment Insurance system. The estimated programming time is 160 hours at the rate of 120.20 per hour, which exceeds the appropriation by an estimated $1,232. Any unexpended, unobligated funds from this appropriation shall revert to the General Fund on June 30, 2026.
DWS anticipates this bill would create an indeterminable revenue decrease to the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund and to the Federal Fund from the Unemployment Insurance Administrative Grant. This bill would also create an indeterminable expenditure decrease from the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund.
Source of revenue decrease: DWS indicates the decrease in revenue to the Unemployment Insurance Trust would be in the form of reduced tax rates for employers which are paid into Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund as a result of decreased demands on the fund to pay benefits. The decrease in revenue from federal funds is based on the Resource Justification Model, which includes factors such as the number of claims received and processed in a year, number of appeals, and number of issues adjudicated. Tax rates for employers are set in December of each year and implemented in January. Part of that determination includes recent demand on the fund based on the amount of benefits paid. The demand on the fund is unknown as the number of claimants receiving benefits and the maximum weeks of benefits based on the state’s average unemployment rate are unknown.
Source of expenditure decrease: DWS indicates the source of the expenditure decrease to the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund is a result of this bill reducing the maximum amount of benefits payable to any eligible individual in a benefit year from 26 to 20 weeks or 30 percent of wages payable for insured work in their base period, whichever is less. The bill also reduces the total extended benefit amount for the applicable benefit year from 13 to 6.5 times the weekly benefit amount or 50 percent of the total amount of regular benefits, whichever is less.
DWS indicated that in FY 2023, the total number of claimants receiving benefits was 10,460 with 912 of those claimants receiving benefits for more than 20 weeks. The amount of benefits received is unique to each claimant and the maximum weekly benefit amount is $624.
Prepared by: Matthew Willmarth, LSO Phone: 777-7881
(Information provided by Jennifer Martinez, Dept. of Workforce Services, 777-6746)
SF0175
2025 | STATE OF WYOMING | 25LSO-0704 ENGROSSED 3.0 |
SENATE FILE NO. SF0175
Unemployment insurance coverage-period and reporting.
Sponsored by: Senator(s) Kolb, Ide, McKeown and Steinmetz and Representative(s) Bear and Heiner
A BILL
for
AN ACT relating to labor and employment; reducing the maximum length of unemployment benefits; renaming the unemployment insurance commission; specifying applicability; providing an appropriation; and providing for effective dates.
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:
Section 1. W.S. 27‑3‑102(a)(v), 27‑3‑304, 27‑3‑601(a) and 27‑14‑802(b) are amended to read:
27‑3‑102. Definitions generally.
(a) Except as otherwise provided, as used in this act:
(v) \"Commission\" means the unemployment reemployment insurance commission of Wyoming within the department of workforce services;
27‑3‑304. Maximum payment.
Except as provided by W.S. 27‑3‑316, the maximum amount of benefits payable to any eligible individual in a benefit year shall not exceed twenty‑six (26) twenty (20) times his weekly benefit or thirty percent (30%) of his wages payable for insured work in his base period, whichever is less. This amount shall be computed to the next higher multiple of his weekly benefit.
27‑3‑601. Reemployment insurance commission created; composition; terms; vacancies; salary; chairman; quorum; removal; office; seal.
(a) The unemployment reemployment insurance commission of Wyoming is created within the department of workforce services and shall consist of three (3) members serving a term of six (6) years each. Appointments, vacancies and expiration of terms shall be in accordance with W.S. 28‑12‑101 through 28‑12‑103. A member shall not hold any state office or serve as an officer or on a committee of any political organization during the term of membership. No more than seventy‑five percent (75%) of the members shall be of the same political party.
27‑14‑802. Rulemaking power; fees; state's average wages; vocational rehabilitation; contracts with clerks of district court.
(b) Before the last day of each quarter in each year, the department shall estimate the average monthly and weekly wage for the twelve (12) months preceding the quarter, based on unemployment reemployment insurance commission information and other available statistics.
Section 2. There is appropriated eighteen thousand dollars ($18,000.00) from the general fund to the Wyoming department of workforce services for purposes of updating and administering the Wyoming unemployment insurance system. This appropriation shall be for the period beginning with the effective date of this section and ending June 30, 2026. This appropriation shall not be transferred or expended for any other purpose and any unexpended, unobligated funds remaining from this appropriation shall revert as provided by law on June 30, 2026.
Section 3. This act shall apply to all unemployment claims filed on and after January 4, 2026.
Section 4.
(a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, this act is effective January 4, 2026.
(b) Sections 2 and 4 of this act are effective immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution.
(END)
| 1 | SF0175 |
SF0175 | Unemployment insurance coverage-period and reporting. |
Sponsored By: Senator(s) Kolb, Ide, McKeown and Steinmetz and Representative(s) Bear and Heiner
AN ACT relating to labor and employment; reducing the maximum length of unemployment benefits; renaming the unemployment insurance commission; specifying applicability; providing an appropriation; and providing for effective dates.
1/25/2025 Bill Number Assigned
1/27/2025 S Received for Introduction
1/28/2025 S Introduced and Referred to S10 - Labor
2/5/2025 S10 - Labor:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 3-2-0-0-0
ROLL CALL
Ayes: Senator(s) Crum, Hutchings, Steinmetz
Nays: Senator(s) Barlow, Scott
Ayes 3 Nays 2 Excused 0 Absent 0 Conflicts 0
2/5/2025 S10 - Labor:Rerefer to S02 - Appropriations
2/6/2025 S02 - Appropriations:Recommend Do Pass 5-0-0-0-0
ROLL CALL
Ayes: Senator(s) Driskill, Gierau, Laursen, Salazar, Smith
Ayes 5 Nays 0 Excused 0 Absent 0 Conflicts 0
2/6/2025 S Placed on General File
SF0175SS001/ADOPTED
Page 1-line 10 Delete \"27-3-316(c)(ii),\".
Page 2-lines 18 through 22 Delete entirely.
Page 3-lines 1 through 9 Delete entirely. Scott, Acting Chairman
2/7/2025 S COW:Passed
SF0175S2001/ADOPTED
Page 5-line 5 Delete \"January 1, 2026\" and insert \"January 4, 2026\".
Page 5-line 10 Delete \"January 1, 2026\" and insert \"January 4, 2026\". Kolb
2/10/2025 S 2nd Reading:Passed
2/11/2025 S 3rd Reading:Passed 24-6-1-0-0
ROLL CALL
Ayes: Senator(s) Anderson, Barlow, Biteman, Boner, Cooper, Crago, Crum, Dockstader, Driskill, French, Gierau, Hicks, Hutchings, Ide, Jones, Kolb, Landen, Laursen, Mckeown, Nethercott, Olsen, Pearson, Salazar, Steinmetz
Nays: Senator(s) Brennan, Case, Rothfuss, Schuler, Scott, Smith
Excused: Senator Pappas
Ayes 24 Nays 6 Excused 1 Absent 0 Conflicts 0
2/11/2025 H Received for Introduction
2/14/2025 H Introduced and Referred to H10 - Labor
2/26/2025 H10 - Labor:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 7-1-1-0-0
ROLL CALL
Ayes: Representative(s) Clouston, Guggenmos, Hoeft, Mccann, Ottman, Rodriguez-Williams, Wasserburger
Nays: Representative Yin
Excused: Representative Styvar
Ayes 7 Nays 1 Excused 1 Absent 0 Conflicts 0
2/26/2025 S10 - Labor:Rerefer to H02 - Appropriations
2/27/2025 H02 - Appropriations:Recommend Do Pass 6-1-0-0-0
ROLL CALL
Ayes: Representative(s) Allemand, Angelos, Bear, Haroldson, Pendergraft, Smith
Nays: Representative Sherwood
Ayes 6 Nays 1 Excused 0 Absent 0 Conflicts 0
2/27/2025 H Placed on General File
SF0175HS001/ADOPTED (TO ENGROSSED COPY)
Page 1-line 2 Delete \"renaming the\".
Page 1-line 2 Delete line through \"commission;\".
Page 1-line 9 After \"W.S.\" delete \"27-3-102(a)(v),\"; after \"27-3-304\" delete \", 27-3-601(a)\".
Page 1-line 10 Delete \"and 27-14-802(b) are\" and insert \"is\".
Page 1-lines 12 through 15 Delete entirely.
Page 2-lines 2 through 4 Delete entirely.
Page 2-lines 16 through 23 Delete entirely.
Page 3-lines 1 through 16 Delete entirely.
Rodriguez-Williams, Chairman
2/28/2025 H COW:Failed 23-36-3-0-0
ROLL CALL
Ayes: Representative(s) Allemand, Andrew, Banks, Bear, Brady, Bratten, Brown, G, Guggenmos, Haroldson, Heiner, Hoeft, Kelly, Lien, Locke, Mccann, Neiman, Ottman, Pendergraft, Rodriguez-Williams, Smith, Strock, Webb, Webber
Nays: Representative(s) Angelos, Brown, L, Byron, Campbell, K, Chestek, Clouston, Connolly, Davis, Eklund, Erickson, Filer, Geringer, Harshman, Jarvis, Johnson, Knapp, Larsen, Larson, Lawley, Lucas, Posey, Provenza, Riggins, Schmid, Sherwood, Singh, Storer, Styvar, Tarver, Thayer, Washut, Wasserburger, Wharff, Williams, Wylie, Yin
Excused: Representative(s) Campbell, E, Nicholas, Winter
Ayes 23 Nays 36 Excused 3 Absent 0 Conflicts 0