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An Act Regarding Unemployment Compensation for Workers Involved in Certain Seasonal Occupations
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  26 MRSA §1043, sub-§6-B  is enacted to read:
 
6-B.  Construction industry.     "Construction industry" means that industry that is composed of employees and employers engaged in construction, reconstruction, demolition, repair, improvement, enlargement or moving of buildings, roads, highways, bridges, streets, alleys, sewers, ditches, sewage disposal plants, waterworks, airports and all other structures or works whether private or public.
Sec. 2. 26 MRSA §1192, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2013, c. 314, §1, is further amended to read:
 
2. Has registered for work.   The individual has registered for work at, and continued to report at, an employment office in accordance with rules the commission adopts, except that the commission may, by rule, waive or alter either or both of the requirements of this subsection as to individuals attached to regular jobs and as to such other types of cases or situations with respect to which the commission finds that compliance with the requirements would be oppressive, or would be inconsistent with the purposes of this chapter. A rule under this subsection may not conflict with section 1191, subsection 1.
 
The individual must actively seek work each week in which a claim for benefits is filed unless the individual is participating in approved training under subsection 6 or work search has been waived in accordance with rules adopted by the commission and provide evidence of work search efforts in a manner and form as prescribed by the Department of Labor. An individual who works in the construction industry, has worked for at least 20 weeks in the 12 months prior to making a claim for benefits pursuant to subsection 1 and has a date to return to work for a previous employer is not required to engage in work search efforts. An individual who works in the logging industry is not required to engage in work search efforts from April 1st to June 1st. Failure to provide required work search documentation results in a denial of benefits in accordance with section 1194, subsection 2 for the week or weeks for which no documentation was provided unless the department determines there is good cause for the individual's failure to comply with this requirement;
 
SUMMARY
This bill amends the unemployment compensation laws to provide that an individual who works in the construction industry, has worked for at least 20 weeks in the 12 months prior to making a claim for benefits and has a date to return to work for a previous employer is not required to engage in work search efforts. It also provides that an individual who works in the logging industry is not required to engage in work search efforts from April 1st to June 1st.