Assembly Bill A10048

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   10048
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 30, 2026
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. VALDEZ -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Labor
 
 AN  ACT  to amend the labor law, in relation to increasing the unemploy-
   ment insurance minimum weekly benefit amount
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 5 of section 590 of the labor
 law, as amended by section 3 of part KK of chapter 56  of  the  laws  of
 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   (a)  A  claimant's  weekly benefit amount shall be one twenty-sixth of
 the remuneration paid during the highest calendar quarter  of  the  base
 period  by  employers,  liable  for contributions or payments in lieu of
 contributions under this article, provided the claimant has remuneration
 paid in all four calendar quarters during such claimant's base period or
 alternate base period, BUT SHALL NOT BE LESS THAN  THE  GREATER  OF  TWO
 HUNDRED  FIFTY  DOLLARS  OR  FIFTEEN PERCENT OF THE STATE AVERAGE WEEKLY
 WAGE. However, for any claimant who has remuneration paid  in  all  four
 calendar  quarters  during such claimant's base period or alternate base
 period and whose high calendar  quarter  remuneration  during  the  base
 period  is three thousand five hundred seventy-five dollars or less, the
 benefit amount shall be one twenty-fifth of the remuneration paid during
 the highest calendar quarter of the base period by employers liable  for
 contributions  or  payments in lieu of contributions under this article,
 BUT SHALL NOT BE LESS THAN THE GREATER OF TWO HUNDRED FIFTY  DOLLARS  OR
 FIFTEEN  PERCENT  OF  THE STATE AVERAGE WEEKLY WAGE. A claimant's weekly
 benefit shall be one twenty-sixth of the average  remuneration  paid  in
 the  two  highest quarters paid during the base period or alternate base
 period by employers liable for contributions  or  payments  in  lieu  of
 contributions under this article when the claimant has remuneration paid
 in  two  or  three  calendar  quarters provided however, that a claimant
 whose high calendar quarter is four thousand dollars or less but greater
 than three thousand five hundred seventy-five dollars shall have a week-
 ly benefit amount of one twenty-sixth of such high calendar quarter, BUT
 SHALL NOT BE LESS THAN THE GREATER  OF  TWO  HUNDRED  FIFTY  DOLLARS  OR
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD14161-02-6
 A. 10048                            2
 
 FIFTEEN  PERCENT  OF  THE  STATE  AVERAGE  WEEKLY WAGE. However, for any
 claimant who has remuneration paid in two  or  three  calendar  quarters
 during  such  claimant's  base period or alternate base period and whose
 high calendar quarter remuneration during the base period is three thou-
 sand five hundred seventy-five dollars or less, the benefit amount shall
 be one twenty-fifth of the remuneration paid during the highest calendar
 quarter  of  the  base  period  by employers liable for contributions or
 payments in lieu of contributions under this article, BUT SHALL  NOT  BE
 LESS THAN THE GREATER OF TWO HUNDRED FIFTY DOLLARS OR FIFTEEN PERCENT OF
 THE  STATE AVERAGE WEEKLY WAGE. Any claimant whose high calendar quarter
 remuneration during the base period is more  than  three  thousand  five
 hundred seventy-five dollars shall not have a weekly benefit amount less
 than  [one]  THE  GREATER  OF TWO hundred [forty-three] FIFTY dollars OR
 FIFTEEN PERCENT OF THE STATE AVERAGE WEEKLY  WAGE.  The  weekly  benefit
 amount,  so  computed,  that  is  not  a multiple of one dollar shall be
 lowered to the next multiple of one  dollar.  On  the  first  Monday  of
 September, nineteen hundred ninety-eight the weekly benefit amount shall
 not  exceed  three  hundred  sixty-five  dollars  nor be less than forty
 dollars, until the first Monday of September,  two  thousand,  at  which
 time  the  maximum  benefit  payable  pursuant to this subdivision shall
 equal one-half of the state average weekly wage for  covered  employment
 as  calculated by the department no sooner than July first, two thousand
 and no later than August first, two thousand, rounded down to the lowest
 dollar. On and after the first Monday of October, two thousand fourteen,
 the weekly benefit shall not be less than one hundred dollars, nor shall
 it exceed four hundred twenty dollars until the first Monday of October,
 two thousand fifteen when the  maximum  benefit  amount  shall  be  four
 hundred  twenty-five  dollars,  until  the  first Monday of October, two
 thousand sixteen when the maximum benefit amount shall be  four  hundred
 thirty  dollars,  until the first Monday of October, two thousand seven-
 teen when the maximum benefit amount shall be four  hundred  thirty-five
 dollars,  until  the first Monday of October, two thousand eighteen when
 the maximum benefit amount shall be four hundred  fifty  dollars,  until
 the  first  Monday  of  October,  two thousand nineteen when the maximum
 benefit amount shall be thirty-six percent of the  average  weekly  wage
 until  the  first  Monday  of October, two thousand twenty-five when the
 maximum benefit amount shall be eight hundred sixty-nine dollars,  until
 the first Monday of October, two thousand twenty-six and each year ther-
 eafter  on the first Monday of October when the [maximum] benefit amount
 shall NOT be LESS THAN THE GREATER  OF  TWO  HUNDRED  FIFTY  DOLLARS  OR
 FIFTEEN  PERCENT  OF  THE STATE AVERAGE WEEKLY WAGE AND SHALL NOT EXCEED
 fifty percent of the average weekly wage provided, however, that  in  no
 event  shall  the  maximum  benefit  amount be reduced from the previous
 year.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.