Superstorm Sandy Unemployment Relief Act of 2012 - Directs the President, in the case of an individual eligible to receive unemployment assistance under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act as a result of the disaster declaration made for Hurricane Sandy after October 20, 2012, to make such assistance available for 39 weeks after the date of the declaration (currently limited to 26 weeks).
Requires the payments to a state to equal 100% of the amount of unemployment compensation paid under state law to affected individuals in each affected state or any area within it.
Makes payments available until July 23, 2013.
Makes appropriations necessary to carry out this Act.
[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3655 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
112th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 3655
To provide enhanced disaster unemployment assistance to States affected
by Hurricane Sandy and Tropical Storm Sandy of 2012, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
December 4, 2012
Mr. Lautenberg (for himself, Mr. Blumenthal, and Mr. Lieberman)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on Finance
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide enhanced disaster unemployment assistance to States affected
by Hurricane Sandy and Tropical Storm Sandy of 2012, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Superstorm Sandy Unemployment Relief
Act of 2012''.
SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF DISASTER UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFIT PERIOD.
(a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in the
case of an individual eligible to receive unemployment assistance under
section 410(a) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5177(a)) as a result of a disaster
declaration made by reason of Hurricane Sandy after October 20, 2012,
the President shall make such assistance available for 39 weeks after
the date of the disaster declaration.
(b) References.--References in this Act to ``Hurricane Sandy''
shall be deemed to include Tropical Storm Sandy, occurring in the fall
of 2012.
SEC. 3. ASSISTANCE TO STATES.
(a) Payments to States.--
(1) In general.--Payments shall be made to a State in an
amount equal to 100 percent of the amount of unemployment
compensation paid under the provisions of the State law to
affected individuals in each State in which a major disaster
was declared with respect to that State or any area within that
State under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Assistance Relief
and Emergency Assistance Act by reason of Hurricane Sandy in
2012.
(2) Funding and transfer of funds.--
(A) Funding.--There are appropriated, out of moneys
in the Treasury not otherwise obligated, such sums as
may be necessary for purposes of carrying out this
section, and such sums shall not be required to be
repaid.
(B) Transfers.--Notwithstanding any other provision
of law, the Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer
from the General Fund of the Treasury to--
(i) the extended unemployment compensation
account (as established by section 905 of the
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1105)) such sums
as the Secretary of Labor estimates to be
necessary to make payments to States for the
unemployment compensation identified in
paragraph (1); and
(ii) the employment security administration
account (as established by section 901 of the
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1101)) such sums
as the Secretary of Labor estimates to be
necessary for purposes of assisting States in
meeting the costs of administering this
section.
(3) Terms of payments.--Payments made to a State under this
section shall be made by way of advance or reimbursement.
(4) Limitations on payments.--No payments shall be made to
a State under this section for unemployment compensation paid
by the State to an affected individual, if the State is
advanced or reimbursed for the costs of such unemployment
compensation under other provisions of Federal law.
(b) Applicability.--Payments to a State under subsection (a) shall
be available for unemployment compensation payable with respect to
weeks of unemployment--
(1) beginning on or after October 28, 2012; and
(2) ending on or before July 23, 2013.
(c) Definitions.--In this section, the following definitions shall
apply:
(1) State; state law.--The terms ``State'' and ``State
law'' have the meanings given those terms in section 205 of the
Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970
(26 U.S.C. 3304 note).
(2) Affected individual.--The term ``affected individual''
means an individual eligible for unemployment compensation
under State law, whose unemployment is a direct result (as
described in 20 C.F.R. 625.5(c)) of the major disaster that was
declared with respect to that State or any area within that
State under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Assistance Relief
and Emergency Assistance Act by reason of Hurricane Sandy in
2012.
SEC. 4. REGULATIONS.
The Secretary of Labor may prescribe any operating instructions or
regulations necessary to carry out this Act.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
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