DeAngelo, Barnes & Egan Bills to Help Employers & Unemployed Approved by Assembly

(Trenton) - Legislation sponsored by Assembly Democrats Joseph Egan, Wayne DeAngelo, Peter J. Barnes III to control employer taxes and provide unemployment help for New Jerseyans was approved Monday by the Assembly.

The bills:

*Require that benefit instructions provided by each employer to a worker at the time the worker becomes unemployed include information on the time sensitivity of filing a claim for unemployment benefits (A-3794). Sponsored by DeAngelo (D-Mercer/Middlesex) and Barnes (D-Middlesex), the measure was approved 76-0 and now goes to the Senate.

"We must take advantage of every opportunity we can to keep out-of-work New Jerseyans afloat while the economy rebounds," DeAngelo said. "We cannot turn our backs on a simple step that can extend benefits, and we must ensure workers who suddenly find themselves unemployed understand the basics of filing for vital assistance."

"Ensuring a worker who finds themselves turning to unemployment benefits understands the importance of a timely benefits filing is commonsense," Barnes said. "In these tough economic times, we don't want to see anyone lose benefits because the rules were unclear."

*Reduce the unemployment insurance tax rates that will be imposed on employers during fiscal years 2012 and 2013 (A-3819). Sponsored by Egan and supported by businesses. It was approved 76-0 and now goes to the Senate.

"Preserving a healthy and viable unemployment trust fund while ensuring continued assistance for out-of-work New Jerseyans and keeping New Jersey as an affordable place to do business is a sacred trust and an absolute must," Egan said. "These measures are an important step toward ensuring we meet those goals for the benefit of workers and businesses."

The Egan bill would:

*Reduce the unemployment insurance (UI) tax rates that would be imposed on employers during fiscal years 2012 and 2013; and

*Modify, for all years after FY 2011, the UI trust fund reserve ratios which set employer UI tax rates in such a manner that larger reserves are required in the UI trust fund than under the current law before employer UI taxes are reduced.

The bill implements the recommendations made by the Governor's UI Task Force.