Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Workforce Unemployment Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commerce official says DWS draft bills under federal review; describes unemployment, disclosure and tax changes
Summary
Dr. Childers of the Department of Commerce said Division of Workforce Services drafts must be reviewed by the U.S. Department of Labor and described bills on employer noncharge contributions, disclosure of confidential UI information, stabilization-tax calculation and taxable wage‑base definition.
Dr. Childers, director of the Division of Workforce Services at the Arkansas Department of Commerce, told the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee that DWS had no filed bills at the time and that draft legislation must first be reviewed by the U.S. Department of Labor to ensure conformity with federal law.
Childers described planned draft bills addressing employer noncharge contributions and Arkansas Code §11‑10‑703 concerning employer unemployment‑contribution rates and separate accounts; a bill to expand allowable disclosures of confidential information by taking advantage of 20 C.F.R. provisions; modifications to the method the unemployment stabilization tax is calculated (Arkansas Code §11‑10‑706); and a bill to modify the definition of wages subject to unemployment taxation (Arkansas Code §11‑10‑215). Childers said he did not know exactly which committee some of those bills will be assigned to.
The division also expects separate bills for Arkansas Rehabilitation Services and other legacy DWS programs, including a draft related to loan‑forgiveness technology programs.
Childers asked for the committee’s attention as numeric code references and federal reviews are finalized; no committee action was taken at this meeting.
