House labor committee reports Senate Bill 248 to lengthen employer notice-of-separation timeline

During the House Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations' final hearing, members voted to report Senate Bill 248 favorably after a sponsor told the panel the bill removes obsolete statutory language and extends an employer's notice-of-separation deadline from three to ten days.

The measure, presented by Senator Cloud, would amend statutes governing unemployment compensation, including provisions related to the social charge account, benefit charges, employer experience-rating records and notice-of-separation requirements. "This bill had 0 controversy and full support in the senate. It basically just removed some old language, from the law stemming back from 02/2005, that's no longer applicable. And then it extends the timeline that an employer must provide a notice of separation from 3 to 10 days," Senator Cloud said.

Committee members asked few questions. Representative Wilder said, "I just like to move favorable at the appropriate time." Later in the hearing, Representative Waters made the formal motion to report the bill favorably; the committee recorded no objections and the bill was reported favorably.

A lobbyist card from Jim Patterson was noted as present and in support but he did not speak on the record during the hearing. The sponsor and committee described the change as an effort to make the notice-of-separation requirement consistent with other statutory timelines; no additional amendments or changes to the bill were discussed at the hearing.

The committee adjourned for the year at the conclusion of its business.