The Florida Unemployment Compensation Law has been amended as follows:
Benefit eligibility. An unemployed individual is eligible to receive benefits for any week only if the agency finds that he or she has registered for work and subsequently reports to the one-stop career center as directed by the regional workforce board for reemployment services. This requirement does not apply to individuals who are: non-Florida residents; workers on a temporary layoff; union members who customarily obtain employment though a union hiring hall; or workers claiming benefits under an approved short-time compensation plan.
Computation date changed. The computation date for the balance of the Unemployment Trust Fund has been changed from June 30 to September 30.
Penalty for filing reports incorrectly. An employing unit that files an erroneous, incomplete, or insufficient report with the agency or its tax collection service provider will pay a penalty of $50 or 10% of any tax due, whichever is greater, but no more than $300 per report. This penalty will be added to any tax, penalty, or interest otherwise due.
Waiver of penalty. The agency or its tax collection service provider will waive the penalty if the employing unit files an accurate, complete, and sufficient report within 30 days after a penalty notice is issued. The penalty may not be waived more than once during a 12-month period. The term "erroneous, incomplete, or insufficient report" means a report so lacking in information, completeness, or arrangement that the report cannot be readily understood, verified, or reviewed. Such reports include, but are not limited to, reports having missing wage or employee information, missing or incorrect Social Security numbers, or illegible entries; reports submitted in a format that is not approved by the agency or its tax collection service provider; and reports showing gross wages that do not equal the total wages of each employee. The term does not include a report that merely contains inaccurate data that was supplied to the employer by the employee if the employer was unaware of the inaccuracy.
Liens. A lien for the payment of contributions or reimbursements expires 10 years after filing a notice of lien with the clerk of court. An action to collect amounts due may not be commenced after the expiration of the lien securing the payment of the amounts owed.
Filing claims. When the Unemployment Compensation Claims and Benefits Information System is fully operational, the process for filing claims must incorporate the process for registering for work with the workforce information systems that have been established. A claim for benefits may not be processed until the work registration requirement is satisfied. The agency may adopt rules as necessary to administer the work registration requirement.
Notice of claim. The agency will promptly provide a notice of claim to the claimant's most recent employing unit and all employers whose employment records are liable for benefits under the monetary determination. The employer must respond to the notice of claim within 20 days after the mailing date of the notice, or in lieu of mailing, within 20 days after the delivery of the notice. If a contributing employer fails to timely respond to the notice of claim, the employer's account may not be relieved of benefit charges.
Monetary determinations. In addition to the notice of claim, the agency must also promptly provide an initial monetary determination to the claimant and each base period employer whose account is subject to being charged for its respective share of benefits on the claim. Note, however, that the agency is no longer required to promptly notify the claimant, the claimant's most recent employing unit, and all employers whose employment records are liable for benefits under the determination of the initial determination.
Nonmonetary determinations. If the agency receives information that may result in a denial of benefits, it must complete an investigation of the claim and provide notice of a nonmonetary determination to the claimant and the employer from whom the claimant's reason for separation affects his or her entitlement to benefits. The determination must state the reason for the determination and whether the account of the contributing employer will be charged for benefits paid on the claim. The nonmonetary determination is final unless within 20 days after the mailing of the notices to the parties' last known addresses, or in lieu of mailing, within 20 days after the delivery of the notices, an appeal or written request for reconsideration is filed by the claimant or other party entitled to notice.
Electronic reporting. An employer who is required by law to file an Employers Quarterly Report (UCT-6) by approved electronic means, but who files the report by a means other than approved electronic means is liable for a penalty of $50 for that report and $1 for each employee. This penalty also applies to an individual who prepared and reported for 100 or more employers in any quarter during the preceding state fiscal year who fails to file the quarterly report by approved electronic means. The penalty is in addition to any other penalty imposed. Note that the penalty does not apply if the tax collection service provider waives the electronic filing requirement in advance. A $50 penalty also applies if an employer fails to remit contributions or reimbursements by approved electronic means.