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Committee OKs bill to put disaster unemployment waivers into law
Summary
The Finance, Ways, and Means Committee passed House Bill 6002 to place disaster-era unemployment waivers into statute so state officials can act without an executive order; the measure passed the committee 26-0 and goes to calendar and rules.
The Finance, Ways and Means Committee on Jan. 28 approved House Bill 6002, a measure that would codify temporary unemployment-waiver authority for use in declared disaster areas so state officials can waive certain unemployment requirements without a separate executive order.
Sponsor Representative Cochran told the committee the bill is intended to “cut[] some, some bureaucratic red tape” and to let the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development “waive certain unemployment requirements during states of emergency.” Cochran said the change would let state agencies such as the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) “assist locals in a more expedited fashion.”
Committee members asked how the change would affect timing after a disaster. Representative Jeremy Clement asked whether any delay by the governor in issuing a disaster declaration would prevent relief; Cochran and committee members clarified the bill still requires that an area be declared a disaster area but would eliminate the need for a separate executive order to trigger the unemployment waivers. Cochran said the authority had been exercised in the past via executive order and the bill would move that authority into statute.
No witnesses contested the bill during committee debate. The committee took a roll-call vote; the clerk recorded 26 ayes and 0 nos. The committee chair announced, “This motion passes, and House Bill 6002 goes on to calendar and rules.”
What happens next: the bill advances to calendar and rules for scheduling on the full House floor. If passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor, the statutory change would give the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development discretion to waive specified unemployment rules in areas the state designates as disaster zones.
Context: Committee members and staff said the measure responds to delays that can occur when parties depend on an executive order to trigger waivers and that the bill is intended to streamline assistance to local governments and affected workers after natural disasters.
