Texas Business Today, Winter/Spring 2005 Page: 4
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Texas Business Today
SB 1229 - OMNIBUS UI BILL - would make a
number of changes to current law. For example,
for an employee of a staff leasing company to be
considered to have left their last work without
good cause (and disqualified from receiving
UI benefits), the staff leasing company (or a
client acting on its behalf) would be required
to give written notice and instructions to the
employee to contact the staff leasing company
for a new assignment at the time the assign-
ment concluded. It would also redefine the
"last work" and "person for whom the claimant
last worked" as the person the claimant last
worked for in six or more consecutive weeks
and earned wages equal to at least six times
the claimant's weekly benefit amount or a
"covered" employer as defined by the TUCA
or the unemployment law of any other state.
It would also allow TWC to hire a private col-
lection agency to seek repayment of otherwise
uncollectable improper benefits and redefine
"improper benefit" as any benefit or payment
obtained by a person who is disqualified or
ineligible to receive them.
SB 1230 - OPT-IN - is a contingency bill in the
event that a change in federal law is passed to
allow Texas to assume responsibility for fund-
ing the operations of the state's UI system.
Under the current inequitable system, Texas
received only 37 percent of the FUTA dollars
that employers remitted to the federal govern-
ment to administer this state's unemployment
compensation system in 2002. The rest of the
dollars were distributed to other states by the
federal Department of Labor to subsidize their
UI operations or were kept by the federal gov-
ernment. If Texas were given the responsibility
to fund the operations of the UI system, the
administrative tax on Texas employers would
potentially decrease by 50%, resulting in a $280
million reduction in taxes in 2005.SB 1231/HB 3250
SUTA DUMPING - would
prohibit State Unemployment Tax Avoid-
ance (also called "SUTA dumping") schemes.
Congress unanimously passed legislation in
August 2004 requiring all states to pass laws
imposing new penalties on employers seeking
to reduce their UI taxes by moving workers
from established business entities with high
tax rates to newly established corporations
- businesses with no record of layoffs - solely to
take advantage of lower UI takes. This practice
shifts these companies' tax burden to other
employers while negatively impacting the
solvency of state UI trust funds.
To monitor these and other pending bills or to
contact your legislators, visit the Texas Legislature
online at www.capitol.state.tx.us.
Let Us Hear From You
We have recently created a brief (just 12 ques-
tions) online survey for our readers. It's totally
voluntary and confidential and takes just a few
short minutes to complete. We'd like to know
what your workforce needs and concerns are,
and how we can serve you better in the future. If
you're interested, I encourage you to take a few
moments to visit http://www.surveymonkey.com
/s.asp?u=46838926795 and share your insights
with us.
As always, it is an honor and a privilege to
represent you here at the Texas Workforce Com-
mission, and I look forward to cheering your suc-
cesses in the future.
Sincerely,
Ron Lehman
Commissioner Representing EmployersFrom the Dais.. ........................................ ................. ....... . ..2
The TWC Appeals Policy and Precedent Manual: What is it and Why Should
Texas Employers Know About It?.. ....................... ........................5
Business Briefs . ..........................................................................8
Monitoring Employees' Use of Company Computers and the Internet - Part 3...... 10
Hiring and Retaining Older Workers: A Vital Part of Your HR Strategy. ............ 12
Upcoming Texas Business Conferences ............................................... 14
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Texas Workforce Commission. Office of the Commissioner Representing Employers. Texas Business Today, Winter/Spring 2005, periodical, Winter 2004; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1624052/m1/4/: accessed May 21, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.