CHAPTER 84
HOUSE BILL No. 3021
An Act concerning the employment security law;
amending K.S.A. 44-705 and
K.S.A. 2001 Supp. 44-703 and 44-710 and repealing the
existing sections.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
Section 1. K.S.A. 2001 Supp. 44-703
is hereby amended to read as
follows: 44-703. As used in this act, unless the context clearly
requires
otherwise:
(a) (1) ``Annual payroll'' means
the total amount of wages paid or
payable by an employer during the calendar year.
(2) ``Average annual payroll'' means the
average of the annual payrolls
of any employer for the last three calendar years immediately
preceding
the computation date as hereinafter defined if the employer has
been
continuously subject to contributions during those three calendar
years
and has paid some wages for employment during each of such years.
In
determining contribution rates for the calendar year, if an
employer has
not been continuously subject to contribution for the three
calendar years
immediately preceding the computation date but has paid wages
subject
to contributions during only the two calendar years immediately
preced-
ing the computation date, such employer's ``average annual
payroll'' shall
be the average of the payrolls for those two calendar years.
(3) ``Total wages'' means the total
amount of wages paid or payable
by an employer during the calendar year, including that part of
remu-
neration in excess of the limitation prescribed as provided in
subsection
(o)(1) of this section.
(b) ``Base period'' means the first four
of the last five completed cal-
endar quarters immediately preceding the first day of an
individual's ben-
efit year, except that the base period in respect to combined wage
claims
means the base period as defined in the law of the paying
state.
(1) If an individual lacks sufficient
base period wages in order to
establish a benefit year in the matter set forth above and
satisfies the
requirements of subsection (g) of K.S.A. 44-705 and subsection
(hh) of
K.S.A. 44-703, and amendments thereto, the claimant shall have
an alter-
native base period substituted for the current base period so as
not to
prevent establishment of a valid claim. For the purposes of this
subsection,
``alternative base period'' means the last four completed
quarters imme-
diately preceding the date the qualifying injury occurred. In
the event the
wages in the alternative base period have been used on a prior
claim, then
they shall be excluded from the new alternative base
period.
(2) For the purposes of this chapter,
the term ``base period'' includes
the alternative base period.
(c) (1) ``Benefits'' means the
money payments payable to an individ-
ual, as provided in this act, with respect to such individual's
unemploy-
ment.
(2) ``Regular benefits'' means benefits
payable to an individual under
this act or under any other state law, including benefits payable
to federal
civilian employees and to ex-servicemen pursuant to 5 U.S.C.
chapter 85,
other than extended benefits.
(d) ``Benefit year'' with respect to any
individual, means the period
beginning with the first day of the first week for which such
individual
files a valid claim for benefits, and such benefit year shall
continue for
one full year. In the case of a combined wage claim, the benefit
year shall
be the benefit year of the paying state. Following the termination
of a
benefit year, a subsequent benefit year shall commence on the first
day
of the first week with respect to which an individual next files a
claim for
benefits. When such filing occurs with respect to a week which
overlaps
the preceding benefit year, the subsequent benefit year shall
commence
on the first day immediately following the expiration date of the
preceding
benefit year. Any claim for benefits made in accordance with
subsection
(a) of K.S.A. 44-709 and amendments thereto shall be deemed to be
a
``valid claim'' for the purposes of this subsection if the
individual has been
paid wages for insured work as required under subsection (e) of
K.S.A.
44-705 and amendments thereto. Whenever a week of unemployment
overlaps two benefit years, such week shall, for the purpose of
granting
waiting-period credit or benefit payment with respect thereto, be
deemed
to be a week of unemployment within that benefit year in which
the
greater part of such week occurs.
(e) ``Commissioner'' or ``secretary''
means the secretary of human re-
sources.
(f) (1) ``Contributions'' means the money
payments to the state em-
ployment security fund which are required to be made by employers
on
account of employment under K.S.A. 44-710 and amendments
thereto,
and voluntary payments made by employers pursuant to such
statute.
(2) ``Payments in lieu of contributions''
means the money payments
to the state employment security fund from employers which are
required
to make or which elect to make such payments under subsection (e)
of
K.S.A. 44-710 and amendments thereto.
(g) ``Employing unit'' means any
individual or type of organization,
including any partnership, association, limited liability company,
agency
or department of the state of Kansas and political subdivisions
thereof,
trust, estate, joint-stock company, insurance company or
corporation,
whether domestic or foreign including nonprofit corporations, or
the re-
ceiver, trustee in bankruptcy, trustee or successor thereof, or the
legal
representatives of a deceased person, which has in its employ one
or more
individuals performing services for it within this state. All
individuals per-
forming services within this state for any employing unit which
maintains
two or more separate establishments within this state shall be
deemed to
be employed by a single employing unit for all the purposes of this
act.
Each individual employed to perform or to assist in performing the
work
of any agent or employee of an employing unit shall be deemed to
be
employed by such employing unit for all the purposes of this act,
whether
such individual was hired or paid directly by such employing unit
or by
such agent or employee, provided the employing unit had actual or
con-
structive knowledge of the employment.
(h) ``Employer'' means:
(1) (A) Any employing unit for
which agricultural labor as defined in
subsection (w) of this section is performed and which during any
calendar
quarter in either the current or preceding calendar year paid
remunera-
tion in cash of $20,000 or more to individuals employed in
agricultural
labor or for some portion of a day in each of 20 different calendar
weeks,
whether or not such weeks were consecutive, in either the current
or the
preceding calendar year, employed in agricultural labor 10 or more
in-
dividuals, regardless of whether they were employed at the same
moment
of time.
(B) For the purpose of this subsection
(h)(1), any individual who is a
member of a crew furnished by a crew leader to perform service in
ag-
ricultural labor for any other person shall be treated as an
employee of
such crew leader if:
(i) Such crew leader holds a valid
certificate of registration under the
federal migrant and seasonal agricultural workers protection act or
sub-
stantially all the members of such crew operate or maintain
tractors,
mechanized harvesting or cropdusting equipment or any other
mecha-
nized equipment, which is provided by such crew leader; and
(ii) such individual is not in the
employment of such other person
within the meaning of subsection (i) of this section.
(C) For the purpose of this subsection
(h)(1), in the case of any in-
dividual who is furnished by a crew leader to perform service in
agricul-
tural labor for any other person and who is not treated as an
employee
of such crew leader:
(i) Such other person and not the crew
leader shall be treated as the
employer of such individual; and
(ii) such other person shall be treated
as having paid cash remuner-
ation to such individual in an amount equal to the amount of cash
re-
muneration paid to such individual by the crew leader, either on
the crew
leader's own behalf or on behalf of such other person, for the
service in
agricultural labor performed for such other person.
(D) For the purposes of this subsection
(h)(1) ``crew leader'' means
an individual who:
(i) Furnishes individuals to perform
service in agricultural labor for
any other person;
(ii) pays, either on such individual's
own behalf or on behalf of such
other person, the individuals so furnished by such individual for
the serv-
ice in agricultural labor performed by them; and
(iii) has not entered into a written
agreement with such other person
under which such individual is designated as an employee of such
other
person.
(2) (A) Any employing unit which:
(i) In any calendar quarter in ei-
ther the current or preceding calendar year paid for service in
employ-
ment wages of $1,500 or more, or (ii) for some portion of a day in
each
of 20 different calendar weeks, whether or not such weeks were
consec-
utive, in either the current or preceding calendar year, had in
employment
at least one individual, whether or not the same individual was in
em-
ployment in each such day.
(B) Employment of individuals to perform
domestic service or agri-
cultural labor and wages paid for such service or labor shall not
be con-
sidered in determining whether an employing unit meets the criteria
of
this subsection (h)(2).
(3) Any employing unit for which service
is employment as defined
in subsection (i)(3)(E) of this section.
(4) (A) Any employing unit, whether or
not it is an employing unit
under subsection (g) of this section, which acquires or in any
manner
succeeds to (i) substantially all of the employing enterprises,
organization,
trade or business, or (ii) substantially all the assets, of another
employing
unit which at the time of such acquisition was an employer subject
to this
act;
(B) any employing unit which is
controlled substantially, either di-
rectly or indirectly by legally enforceable means or otherwise, by
the same
interest or interests, whether or not such interest or interests
are an em-
ploying unit under subsection (g) of this section, which acquires
or in any
manner succeeds to a portion of an employer's annual payroll, which
is
less than 100% of such employer's annual payroll, and which intends
to
continue the acquired portion as a going business.
(5) Any employing unit which paid cash
remuneration of $1,000 or
more in any calendar quarter in the current or preceding calendar
year
to individuals employed in domestic service as defined in
subsection (aa)
of this section.
(6) Any employing unit which having
become an employer under this
subsection (h) has not, under subsection (b) of K.S.A. 44-711 and
amend-
ments thereto, ceased to be an employer subject to this act.
(7) Any employing unit which has elected
to become fully subject to
this act in accordance with subsection (c) of K.S.A. 44-711 and
amend-
ments thereto.
(8) Any employing unit not an employer by
reason of any other par-
agraph of this subsection (h), for which within either the current
or pre-
ceding calendar year services in employment are or were performed
with
respect to which such employing unit is liable for any federal tax
against
which credit may be taken for contributions required to be paid
into a
state unemployment compensation fund; or which, as a condition for
ap-
proval of this act for full tax credit against the tax imposed by
the federal
unemployment tax act, is required, pursuant to such act, to be an
``em-
ployer'' under this act.
(9) Any employing unit described in
section 501(c)(3) of the federal
internal revenue code of 1986 which is exempt from income tax
under
section 501(a) of the code that had four or more individuals in
employ-
ment for some portion of a day in each of 20 different weeks,
whether or
not such weeks were consecutive, within either the current or
preceding
calendar year, regardless of whether they were employed at the
same
moment of time.
(i) ``Employment'' means:
(1) Subject to the other provisions of
this subsection, service, includ-
ing service in interstate commerce, performed by
(A) Any active officer of a corporation;
or
(B) any individual who, under the usual
common law rules applicable
in determining the employer-employee relationship, has the status
of an
employee; or
(C) any individual other than an
individual who is an employee under
subsection (i)(1)(A) or subsection (i)(1)(B) above who performs
services
for remuneration for any person:
(i) As an agent-driver or
commission-driver engaged in distributing
meat products, vegetable products, fruit products, bakery products,
bev-
erages (other than milk), or laundry or dry-cleaning services, for
such
individual's principal; or
(ii) as a traveling or city salesman,
other than as an agent-driver or
commission-driver, engaged upon a full-time basis in the
solicitation on
behalf of, and the transmission to, a principal (except for
side-line sales
activities on behalf of some other person) of orders from
wholesalers,
retailers, contractors, or operators of hotels, restaurants, or
other similar
establishments for merchandise for resale or supplies for use in
their
business operations.
For purposes of subsection (i)(1)(D), the term
``employment'' shall in-
clude services described in paragraphs (i) and (ii) above only
if:
(a) The contract of service contemplates
that substantially all of the
services are to be performed personally by such individual;
(b) the individual does not have a
substantial investment in facilities
used in connection with the performance of the services (other than
in
facilities for transportation); and
(c) the services are not in the nature of
a single transaction that is not
part of a continuing relationship with the person for whom the
services
are performed.
(2) The term ``employment'' shall include
an individual's entire serv-
ice within the United States, even though performed entirely
outside this
state if,
(A) The service is not localized in any
state, and
(B) the individual is one of a class of
employees who are required to
travel outside this state in performance of their duties, and
(C) the individual's base of operations
is in this state, or if there is no
base of operations, then the place from which service is directed
or con-
trolled is in this state.
(3) The term ``employment'' shall also
include:
(A) Services performed within this state
but not covered by the pro-
visions of subsection (i)(1) or subsection (i)(2) shall be deemed
to be
employment subject to this act if contributions are not required
and paid
with respect to such services under an unemployment compensation
law
of any other state or of the federal government.
(B) Services performed entirely without
this state, with respect to no
part of which contributions are required and paid under an
unemploy-
ment compensation law of any other state or of the federal
government,
shall be deemed to be employment subject to this act only if the
individual
performing such services is a resident of this state and the
secretary ap-
proved the election of the employing unit for whom such services
are
performed that the entire service of such individual shall be
deemed to
be employment subject to this act.
(C) Services covered by an arrangement
pursuant to subsection (l) of
K.S.A. 44-714 and amendments thereto between the secretary and
the
agency charged with the administration of any other state or
federal un-
employment compensation law, pursuant to which all services
performed
by an individual for an employing unit are deemed to be performed
en-
tirely within this state, shall be deemed to be employment if the
secretary
has approved an election of the employing unit for whom such
services
are performed, pursuant to which the entire service of such
individual
during the period covered by such election is deemed to be insured
work.
(D) Services performed by an individual
for wages or under any con-
tract of hire shall be deemed to be employment subject to this act
unless
and until it is shown to the satisfaction of the secretary that:
(i) Such
individual has been and will continue to be free from control or
direction
over the performance of such services, both under the individual's
con-
tract of hire and in fact; and (ii) such service is either outside
the usual
course of the business for which such service is performed or that
such
service is performed outside of all the places of business of the
enterprise
for which such service is performed.
(E) Service performed by an individual in
the employ of this state or
any instrumentality thereof, any political subdivision of this
state or any
instrumentality thereof, or in the employ of an Indian tribe, as
defined
pursuant to section 3306(u) of the federal unemployment tax act,
any
instrumentality of more than one of the foregoing or any
instrumentality
which is jointly owned by this state or a political subdivision
thereof or
Indian tribes and one or more other states or political
subdivisions of this
or other states, provided that such service is excluded from
``employment''
as defined in the federal unemployment tax act by reason of
section
3306(c)(7) of that act and is not excluded from ``employment''
under
subsection (i)(4)(A) of this section. For purposes of this section,
the ex-
clusions from employment in subsections (i)(4)(A) and (i)(4)(L)
shall also
be applicable to services performed in the employ of an Indian
tribe.
(F) Service performed by an individual in
the employ of a religious,
charitable, educational or other organization which is excluded
from the
term ``employment'' as defined in the federal unemployment tax act
solely
by reason of section 3306(c)(8) of that act, and is not excluded
from
employment under paragraphs (I) through (M) of subsection
(i)(4).
(G) The term ``employment'' shall include
the service of an individual
who is a citizen of the United States, performed outside the United
States
except in Canada, in the employ of an American employer (other
than
service which is deemed ``employment'' under the provisions of
subsec-
tion (i)(2) or subsection (i)(3) or the parallel provisions of
another state's
law), if:
(i) The employer's principal place of
business in the United States is
located in this state; or
(ii) the employer has no place of
business in the United States, but
(A) The employer is an individual who is
a resident of this state; or
(B) the employer is a corporation which
is organized under the laws
of this state; or
(C) the employer is a partnership or a
trust and the number of the
partners or trustees who are residents of this state is greater
than the
number who are residents of any other state; or
(iii) none of the criteria of paragraphs
(i) and (ii) above of this sub-
section (i)(3)(G) are met but the employer has elected coverage in
this
state or, the employer having failed to elect coverage in any
state, the
individual has filed a claim for benefits, based on such service,
under the
law of this state.
(H) An ``American employer,'' for
purposes of subsection (i)(3)(G),
means a person who is:
(i) An individual who is a resident of
the United States; or
(ii) a partnership if 2/3 or more of the
partners are residents of the
United States; or
(iii) a trust, if all of the trustees are
residents of the United States; or
(iv) a corporation organized under the
laws of the United States or
of any state.
(I) Notwithstanding subsection (i)(2) of
this section, all service per-
formed by an officer or member of the crew of an American vessel
or
American aircraft on or in connection with such vessel or aircraft,
if the
operating office, from which the operations of such vessel or
aircraft op-
erating within, or within and without, the United States are
ordinarily and
regularly supervised, managed, directed and controlled is within
this state.
(J) Notwithstanding any other provisions
of this subsection (i), service
with respect to which a tax is required to be paid under any
federal law
imposing a tax against which credit may be taken for contributions
re-
quired to be paid into a state unemployment compensation fund or
which
as a condition for full tax credit against the tax imposed by the
federal
unemployment tax act is required to be covered under this act.
(K) Domestic service in a private home,
local college club or local
chapter of a college fraternity or sorority performed for a person
who
paid cash remuneration of $1,000 or more in any calendar quarter in
the
current calendar year or the preceding calendar year to individuals
em-
ployed in such domestic service.
(4) The term ``employment'' shall not
include: (A) Service performed
in the employ of an employer specified in subsection (h)(3) of this
section
if such service is performed by an individual in the exercise of
duties:
(i) As an elected official;
(ii) as a member of a legislative body,
or a member of the judiciary,
of a state, political subdivision or of an Indian tribe;
(iii) as a member of the state national
guard or air national guard;
(iv) as an employee serving on a
temporary basis in case of fire, storm,
snow, earthquake, flood or similar emergency;
(v) in a position which, under or
pursuant to the laws of this state or
tribal law, is designated as a major nontenured policymaking or
advisory
position or as a policymaking or advisory position the performance
of the
duties of which ordinarily does not require more than eight hours
per
week;
(B) service with respect to which
unemployment compensation is
payable under an unemployment compensation system established by
an
act of congress;
(C) service performed by an individual in
the employ of such indi-
vidual's son, daughter or spouse, and service performed by a child
under
the age of 21 years in the employ of such individual's father or
mother;
(D) service performed in the employ of
the United States govern-
ment or an instrumentality of the United States exempt under the
con-
stitution of the United States from the contributions imposed by
this act,
except that to the extent that the congress of the United States
shall
permit states to require any instrumentality of the United States
to make
payments into an unemployment fund under a state unemployment
com-
pensation law, all of the provisions of this act shall be
applicable to such
instrumentalities, and to services performed for such
instrumentalities, in
the same manner, to the same extent and on the same terms as to
all
other employers, employing units, individuals and services. If this
state
shall not be certified for any year by the federal security agency
under
section 3304(c) of the federal internal revenue code of 1986, the
payments
required of such instrumentalities with respect to such year shall
be re-
funded by the secretary from the fund in the same manner and
within
the same period as is provided in subsection (f) of K.S.A. 44-717
and
amendments thereto with respect to contributions erroneously
collected;
(E) service covered by an arrangement
between the secretary and
the agency charged with the administration of any other state or
federal
unemployment compensation law pursuant to which all services
per-
formed by an individual for an employing unit during the period
covered
by such employing unit's duly approved election, are deemed to be
per-
formed entirely within the jurisdiction of such other state or
federal
agency;
(F) service performed by an individual
under the age of 18 in the
delivery or distribution of newspapers or shopping news, not
including
delivery or distribution to any point for subsequent delivery or
distribu-
tion;
(G) service performed by an individual
for an employing unit as an
insurance agent or as an insurance solicitor, if all such service
performed
by such individual for such employing unit is performed for
remuneration
solely by way of commission;
(H) service performed in any calendar
quarter in the employ of any
organization exempt from income tax under section 501(a) of the
federal
internal revenue code of 1986 (other than an organization described
in
section 401(a) or under section 521 of such code) if the
remuneration for
such service is less than $50. In construing the application of the
term
``employment,'' if services performed during 1/2 or more of any pay
period
by an individual for the person employing such individual
constitute em-
ployment, all the services of such individual for such period shall
be
deemed to be employment; but if the services performed during
more
than 1/2 of any such pay period by an individual for the person
employing
such individual do not constitute employment, then none of the
services
of such individual for such period shall be deemed to be
employment. As
used in this subsection (i)(4)(H) the term ``pay period'' means a
period
(of not more than 31 consecutive days) for which a payment of
remuner-
ation is ordinarily made to the individual by the person employing
such
individual. This subsection (i)(4)(H) shall not be applicable with
respect
to services with respect to which unemployment compensation is
payable
under an unemployment compensation system established by an act
of
congress;
(I) services performed in the employ of a
church or convention or
association of churches, or an organization which is operated
primarily
for religious purposes and which is operated, supervised,
controlled, or
principally supported by a church or convention or association
of
churches;
(J) service performed by a duly ordained,
commissioned, or licensed
minister of a church in the exercise of such individual's ministry
or by a
member of a religious order in the exercise of duties required by
such
order;
(K) service performed in a facility
conducted for the purpose of car-
rying out a program of:
(i) Rehabilitation for individuals whose
earning capacity is impaired
by age or physical or mental deficiency or injury, or
(ii) providing remunerative work for
individuals who because of their
impaired physical or mental capacity cannot be readily absorbed in
the
competitive labor market, by an individual receiving such
rehabilitation
or remunerative work;
(L) service performed as part of an
employment work-relief or work-
training program assisted or financed in whole or in part by any
federal
agency or an agency of a state or political subdivision thereof or
of an
Indian tribe, by an individual receiving such work relief or work
training;
(M) service performed by an inmate of a
custodial or correctional
institution, unless such service is performed for a private,
for-profit em-
ployer;
(N) service performed, in the employ of a
school, college, or univer-
sity, if such service is performed by a student who is enrolled and
is
regularly attending classes at such school, college or
university;
(O) service performed by an individual
who is enrolled at a nonprofit
or public educational institution which normally maintains a
regular fac-
ulty and curriculum and normally has a regularly organized body of
stu-
dents in attendance at the place where its educational activities
are carried
on as a student in a full-time program, taken for credit at such
institution,
which combines academic instruction with work experience, if such
serv-
ice is an integral part of such program, and such institution has
so certified
to the employer, except that this subsection (i)(4)(O) shall not
apply to
service performed in a program established for or on behalf of an
em-
ployer or group of employers;
(P) service performed in the employ of a
hospital licensed, certified
or approved by the secretary of health and environment, if such
service
is performed by a patient of the hospital;
(Q) services performed as a qualified
real estate agent. As used in
this subsection (i)(4)(Q) the term ``qualified real estate agent''
means any
individual who is licensed by the Kansas real estate commission as
a sa-
lesperson under the real estate brokers' and salespersons' license
act and
for whom:
(i) Substantially all of the
remuneration, whether or not paid in cash,
for the services performed by such individual as a real estate
salesperson
is directly related to sales or other output, including the
performance of
services, rather than to the number of hours worked; and
(ii) the services performed by the
individual are performed pursuant
to a written contract between such individual and the person for
whom
the services are performed and such contract provides that the
individual
will not be treated as an employee with respect to such services
for state
tax purposes;
(R) services performed for an employer by
an extra in connection
with any phase of motion picture or television production or
television
commercials for less than 14 days during any calendar year. As used
in
this subsection, the term ``extra'' means an individual who
pantomimes in
the background, adds atmosphere to the set and performs such
actions
without speaking and ``employer'' shall not include any employer
which
is a governmental entity or any employer described in section
501(c)(3)
of the federal internal revenue code of 1986 which is exempt from
income
under section 501(a) of the code;
(S) services performed by an oil and gas
contract pumper. As used in
this subsection (i)(4)(S), ``oil and gas contract pumper'' means a
person
performing pumping and other services on one or more oil or gas
leases,
or on both oil and gas leases, relating to the operation and
maintenance
of such oil and gas leases, on a contractual basis for the
operators of such
oil and gas leases and ``services'' shall not include services
performed for
a governmental entity or any organization described in section
501(c)(3)
of the federal internal revenue code of 1986 which is exempt from
income
taxation under section 501(a) of the code;
(T) service not in the course of the
employer's trade or business per-
formed in any calendar quarter by an employee, unless the cash
remu-
neration paid for such service is $200 or more and such service is
per-
formed by an individual who is regularly employed by such employer
to
perform such service. For purposes of this paragraph, an individual
shall
be deemed to be regularly employed by an employer during a
calendar
quarter only if:
(i) On each of some 24 days during such
quarter such individual per-
forms for such employer for some portion of the day service not in
the
course of the employer's trade or business, or
(ii) such individual was regularly
employed, as determined under sub-
paragraph (i), by such employer in the performance of such service
during
the preceding calendar quarter.
Such excluded service shall not include any
services performed for an
employer which is a governmental entity or any employer described
in
section 501(c)(3) of the federal internal revenue code of 1986
which is
exempt from income taxation under section 501(a) of the code;
(U) service which is performed by any
person who is a member of a
limited liability company and which is performed as a member or
manager
of that limited liability company; and
(V) services performed as a qualified
direct seller. The term ``direct
seller'' means any person if:
(i) Such person:
(a) is engaged in the trade or business
of selling or soliciting the sale
of consumer products to any buyer on a buy-sell basis or a
deposit-com-
mission basis for resale, by the buyer or any other person, in the
home
or otherwise rather than in a permanent retail establishment;
or
(b) is engaged in the trade or business
of selling or soliciting the sale
of consumer products in the home or otherwise than in a permanent
retail
establishment;
(ii) substantially all the remuneration
whether or not paid in cash for
the performance of the services described in subparagraph (i) is
directly
related to sales or other output including the performance of
services
rather than to the number of hours worked;
(iii) the services performed by the
person are performed pursuant to
a written contract between such person and the person for whom
the
services are performed and such contract provides that the person
will
not be treated as an employee for federal and state tax
purposes;
(iv) for purposes of this act, a sale or
a sale resulting exclusively from
a solicitation made by telephone, mail, or other
telecommunications
method, or other nonpersonal method does not satisfy the
requirements
of this subsection; and
(W) service performed as an election
official or election worker, if
the amount of remuneration received by the individual during the
cal-
endar year for services as an election official or election worker
is less
than $1,000.
(j) ``Employment office'' means any
office operated by this state and
maintained by the secretary of human resources for the purpose of
as-
sisting persons to become employed.
(k) ``Fund'' means the employment
security fund established by this
act, to which all contributions and reimbursement payments required
and
from which all benefits provided under this act shall be paid and
including
all money received from the federal government as reimbursements
pur-
suant to section 204 of the federal-state extended compensation act
of
1970, and amendments thereto.
(l) ``State'' includes, in addition to
the states of the United States of
America, any dependency of the United States, the Commonwealth
of
Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands.
(m) ``Unemployment.'' An individual shall
be deemed ``unemployed''
with respect to any week during which such individual performs no
serv-
ices and with respect to which no wages are payable to such
individual,
or with respect to any week of less than full-time work if the
wages payable
to such individual with respect to such week are less than such
individual's
weekly benefit amount.
(n) ``Employment security administration
fund'' means the fund es-
tablished by this act, from which administrative expenses under
this act
shall be paid.
(o) ``Wages'' means all compensation for
services, including commis-
sions, bonuses, back pay and the cash value of all remuneration,
including
benefits, paid in any medium other than cash. The reasonable cash
value
of remuneration in any medium other than cash, shall be estimated
and
determined in accordance with rules and regulations prescribed by
the
secretary. Compensation payable to an individual which has not
been
actually received by that individual within 21 days after the end
of the
pay period in which the compensation was earned shall be considered
to
have been paid on the 21st day after the end of that pay period.
Effective
January 1, 1986, gratuities, including tips received from persons
other
than the employing unit, shall be considered wages when reported
in
writing to the employer by the employee. Employees must furnish a
writ-
ten statement to the employer, reporting all tips received if they
total $20
or more for a calendar month whether the tips are received directly
from
a person other than the employer or are paid over to the employee
by
the employer. This includes amounts designated as tips by a
customer
who uses a credit card to pay the bill. Notwithstanding the other
provi-
sions of this subsection (o), wages paid in back pay awards or
settlements
shall be allocated to the week or weeks and reported in the manner
as
specified in the award or agreement, or, in the absence of such
specificity
in the award or agreement, such wages shall be allocated to the
week or
weeks in which such wages, in the judgment of the secretary, would
have
been paid. The term ``wages'' shall not include:
(1) That part of the remuneration which
has been paid in a calendar
year to an individual by an employer or such employer's predecessor
in
excess of $3,000 for all calendar years prior to 1972, $4,200 for
the cal-
endar years 1972 to 1977, inclusive, $6,000 for calendar years 1978
to
1982, inclusive, $7,000 for the calendar year 1983, and $8,000 with
re-
spect to employment during any calendar year following 1983, except
that
if the definition of the term ``wages'' as contained in the federal
unem-
ployment tax act is amended to include remuneration in excess of
$8,000
paid to an individual by an employer under the federal act during
any
calendar year, wages shall include remuneration paid in a calendar
year
to an individual by an employer subject to this act or such
employer's
predecessor with respect to employment during any calendar year up
to
an amount equal to the dollar limitation specified in the federal
unem-
ployment tax act. For the purposes of this subsection (o)(1), the
term
``employment'' shall include service constituting employment under
any
employment security law of another state or of the federal
government;
(2) the amount of any payment (including
any amount paid by an
employing unit for insurance or annuities, or into a fund, to
provide for
any such payment) made to, or on behalf of, an employee or any of
such
employee's dependents under a plan or system established by an
em-
ployer which makes provisions for employees generally, for a class
or
classes of employees or for such employees or a class or classes of
em-
ployees and their dependents, on account of (A) sickness or
accident
disability, except in the case of any payment made to an employee
or such
employee's dependents, this subparagraph shall exclude from the
term
``wages'' only payments which are received under a workers
compensation
law. Any third party which makes a payment included as wages by
reason
of this subparagraph (2)(A) shall be treated as the employer with
respect
to such wages, or (B) medical and hospitalization expenses in
connection
with sickness or accident disability, or (C) death;
(3) any payment on account of sickness or
accident disability, or med-
ical or hospitalization expenses in connection with sickness or
accident
disability, made by an employer to, or on behalf of, an employee
after the
expiration of six calendar months following the last calendar month
in
which the employee worked for such employer;
(4) any payment made to, or on behalf of,
an employee or such em-
ployee's beneficiary:
(A) From or to a trust described in
section 401(a) of the federal in-
ternal revenue code of 1986 which is exempt from tax under
section
501(a) of the federal internal revenue code of 1986 at the time of
such
payment unless such payment is made to an employee of the trust
as
remuneration for services rendered as such employee and not as a
ben-
eficiary of the trust;
(B) under or to an annuity plan which, at
the time of such payment,
is a plan described in section 403(a) of the federal internal
revenue code
of 1986;
(C) under a simplified employee pension
as defined in section
408(k)(1) of the federal internal revenue code of 1986, other than
any
contribution described in section 408(k)(6) of the federal internal
revenue
code of 1986;
(D) under or to an annuity contract
described in section 403(b) of
the federal internal revenue code of 1986, other than a payment for
the
purchase of such contract which was made by reason of a salary
reduction
agreement whether evidenced by a written instrument or
otherwise;
(E) under or to an exempt governmental
deferred compensation plan
as defined in section 3121(v)(3) of the federal internal revenue
code of
1986;
(F) to supplement pension benefits under
a plan or trust described
in any of the foregoing provisions of this subparagraph to take
into ac-
count some portion or all of the increase in the cost of living, as
deter-
mined by the secretary of labor, since retirement but only if such
sup-
plemental payments are under a plan which is treated as a welfare
plan
under section 3(2)(B)(ii) of the federal employee retirement income
se-
curity act of 1974; or
(G) under a cafeteria plan within the
meaning of section 125 of the
federal internal revenue code of 1986;
(5) the payment by an employing unit
(without deduction from the
remuneration of the employee) of the tax imposed upon an
employee
under section 3101 of the federal internal revenue code of 1986
with
respect to remuneration paid to an employee for domestic service in
a
private home of the employer or for agricultural labor;
(6) remuneration paid in any medium other
than cash to an employee
for service not in the course of the employer's trade or
business;
(7) remuneration paid to or on behalf of
an employee if and to the
extent that at the time of the payment of such remuneration it is
reason-
able to believe that a corresponding deduction is allowable under
section
217 of the federal internal revenue code of 1986 relating to moving
ex-
penses;
(8) any payment or series of payments by
an employer to an employee
or any of such employee's dependents which is paid:
(A) Upon or after the termination of an
employee's employment re-
lationship because of (i) death or (ii) retirement for disability;
and
(B) under a plan established by the
employer which makes provisions
for employees generally, a class or classes of employees or for
such em-
ployees or a class or classes of employees and their dependents,
other
than any such payment or series of payments which would have been
paid
if the employee's employment relationship had not been so
terminated;
(9) remuneration for agricultural labor
paid in any medium other than
cash;
(10) any payment made, or benefit
furnished, to or for the benefit of
an employee if at the time of such payment or such furnishing it is
rea-
sonable to believe that the employee will be able to exclude such
payment
or benefit from income under section 129 of the federal internal
revenue
code of 1986 which relates to dependent care assistance
programs;
(11) the value of any meals or lodging
furnished by or on behalf of
the employer if at the time of such furnishing it is reasonable to
believe
that the employee will be able to exclude such items from income
under
section 119 of the federal internal revenue code of 1986;
(12) any payment made by an employer to a
survivor or the estate of
a former employee after the calendar year in which such employee
died;
(13) any benefit provided to or on behalf
of an employee if at the
time such benefit is provided it is reasonable to believe that the
employee
will be able to exclude such benefit from income under section
74(c), 117
or 132 of the federal internal revenue code of 1986; or
(14) any payment made, or benefit
furnished, to or for the benefit of
an employee, if at the time of such payment or such furnishing it
is rea-
sonable to believe that the employee will be able to exclude such
payment
or benefit from income under section 127 of the federal internal
revenue
code of 1986 relating to educational assistance to the
employee.
Nothing in any paragraph of subsection (o),
other than paragraph (1),
shall exclude from the term ``wages'': (1) Any employer
contribution un-
der a qualified cash or deferred arrangement, as defined in section
401(k)
of the federal internal revenue code of 1986, to the extent that
such
contribution is not included in gross income by reason of section
402(a)(8)
of the federal internal revenue code of 1986; or (2) any amount
treated
as an employer contribution under section 414(h)(2) of the federal
inter-
nal revenue code of 1986.
Any amount deferred under a nonqualified
deferred compensation
plan shall be taken into account for purposes of this section as of
the later
of when the services are performed or when there is no substantial
risk
of forfeiture of the rights to such amount. Any amount taken into
account
as wages by reason of this paragraph, and the income attributable
thereto,
shall not thereafter be treated as wages for purposes of this
section. For
purposes of this paragraph, the term ``nonqualified deferred
compensa-
tion plan'' means any plan or other arrangement for deferral of
compen-
sation other than a plan described in subsection (o)(4).
(p) ``Week'' means such period or periods
of seven consecutive cal-
endar days, as the secretary may by rules and regulations
prescribe.
(q) ``Calendar quarter'' means the period
of three consecutive cal-
endar months ending March 31, June 30, September 30 or December
31, or the equivalent thereof as the secretary may by rules and
regulations
prescribe.
(r) ``Insured work'' means employment for
employers.
(s) ``Approved training'' means any
vocational training course or
course in basic education skills approved by the secretary or a
person or
persons designated by the secretary.
(t) ``American vessel'' or ``American
aircraft'' means any vessel or air-
craft documented or numbered or otherwise registered under the
laws
of the United States; and any vessel or aircraft which is neither
docu-
mented or numbered or otherwise registered under the laws of
the
United States nor documented under the laws of any foreign country,
if
its crew performs service solely for one or more citizens or
residents of
the United States or corporations organized under the laws of the
United
States or of any state.
(u) ``Institution of higher education,''
for the purposes of this section,
means an educational institution which:
(1) Admits as regular students only
individuals having a certificate of
graduation from a high school, or the recognized equivalent of such
a
certificate;
(2) is legally authorized in this state
to provide a program of education
beyond high school;
(3) provides an educational program for
which it awards a bachelor's
or higher degree, or provides a program which is acceptable for
full credit
toward such a degree, a program of postgraduate or postdoctoral
studies,
or a program of training to prepare students for gainful employment
in a
recognized occupation; and
(4) is a public or other nonprofit
institution.
Notwithstanding any of the foregoing
provisions of this subsection (u),
all colleges and universities in this state are institutions of
higher educa-
tion for purposes of this section, except that no college,
university, junior
college or other postsecondary school or institution which is
operated by
the federal government or any agency thereof shall be an
institution of
higher education for purposes of the employment security law.
(v) ``Educational institution'' means any
institution of higher educa-
tion, as defined in subsection (u) of this section, or any
institution, except
private for profit institutions, in which participants, trainees or
students
are offered an organized course of study or training designed to
transfer
to them knowledge, skills, information, doctrines, attitudes or
abilities
from, by or under the guidance of an instructor or teacher and
which is
approved, licensed or issued a permit to operate as a school by the
state
department of education or other government agency that is
authorized
within the state to approve, license or issue a permit for the
operation of
a school or to an Indian tribe in the operation of an educational
institution.
The courses of study or training which an educational institution
offers
may be academic, technical, trade or preparation for gainful
employment
in a recognized occupation.
(w) (1) ``Agricultural labor''
means any remunerated service:
(A) On a farm, in the employ of any
person, in connection with cul-
tivating the soil, or in connection with raising or harvesting any
agricul-
tural or horticultural commodity, including the raising, shearing,
feeding,
caring for, training, and management of livestock, bees, poultry,
and fur-
bearing animals and wildlife.
(B) In the employ of the owner or tenant
or other operator of a farm,
in connection with the operating, management, conservation,
improve-
ment, or maintenance of such farm and its tools and equipment, or
in
salvaging timber or clearing land of brush and other debris left by
a hur-
ricane, if the major part of such service is performed on a
farm.
(C) In connection with the production or
harvesting of any commod-
ity defined as an agricultural commodity in section (15)(g) of the
agri-
cultural marketing act, as amended (46 Stat. 1500, sec. 3; 12
U.S.C. 1141j)
or in connection with the ginning of cotton, or in connection with
the
operation or maintenance of ditches, canals, reservoirs or
waterways, not
owned or operated for profit, used exclusively for supplying and
storing
water for farming purposes.
(D) (i) In the employ of the
operator of a farm in handling, planting,
drying, packing, packaging, processing, freezing, grading, storing,
or de-
livering to storage or to market or to a carrier for transportation
to market,
in its unmanufactured state, any agricultural or horticultural
commodity;
but only if such operator produced more than 1/2 of the commodity
with
respect to which such service is performed;
(ii) in the employ of a group of
operators of farms (or a cooperative
organization of which such operators are members) in the
performance
of service described in paragraph (i) above of this subsection
(w)(1)(D),
but only if such operators produced more than 1/2 of the commodity
with
respect to which such service is performed;
(iii) the provisions of paragraphs (i)
and (ii) above of this subsection
(w)(1)(D) shall not be deemed to be applicable with respect to
service
performed in connection with commercial canning or commercial
freez-
ing or in connection with any agricultural or horticultural
commodity after
its delivery to a terminal market for distribution for
consumption.
(E) On a farm operated for profit if such
service is not in the course
of the employer's trade or business.
(2) ``Agricultural labor'' does not
include service performed prior to
January 1, 1980, by an individual who is an alien admitted to the
United
States to perform service in agricultural labor pursuant to
sections 214(c)
and 101(a)(15)(H) of the federal immigration and nationality
act.
(3) As used in this subsection (w), the
term ``farm'' includes stock,
dairy, poultry, fruit, fur-bearing animal, and truck farms,
plantations,
ranches, nurseries, ranges, greenhouses, or other similar
structures used
primarily for the raising of agricultural or horticultural
commodities, and
orchards.
(4) For the purpose of this section, if
an employing unit does not
maintain sufficient records to separate agricultural labor from
other em-
ployment, all services performed during any pay period by an
individual
for the person employing such individual shall be deemed to be
agricul-
tural labor if services performed during 1/2 or more of such pay
period
constitute agricultural labor; but if the services performed during
more
than 1/2 of any such pay period by an individual for the person
employing
such individual do not constitute agricultural labor, then none of
the serv-
ices of such individual for such period shall be deemed to be
agricultural
labor. As used in this subsection (w), the term ``pay period''
means a
period of not more than 31 consecutive days for which a payment
of
remuneration is ordinarily made to the individual by the person
employ-
ing such individual.
(x) ``Reimbursing employer'' means any
employer who makes pay-
ments in lieu of contributions to the employment security fund as
pro-
vided in subsection (e) of K.S.A. 44-710 and amendments
thereto.
(y) ``Contributing employer'' means any
employer other than a re-
imbursing employer or rated governmental employer.
(z) ``Wage combining plan'' means a
uniform national arrangement
approved by the United States secretary of labor in consultation
with the
state unemployment compensation agencies and in which this state
shall
participate, whereby wages earned in one or more states are
transferred
to another state, called the ``paying state,'' and combined with
wages in
the paying state, if any, for the payment of benefits under the
laws of the
paying state and as provided by an arrangement so approved by
the
United States secretary of labor.
(aa) ``Domestic service'' means any
service for a person in the oper-
ation and maintenance of a private household, local college club or
local
chapter of a college fraternity or sorority, as distinguished from
service
as an employee in the pursuit of an employer's trade, occupation,
pro-
fession, enterprise or vocation.
(bb) ``Rated governmental employer''
means any governmental entity
which elects to make payments as provided by K.S.A. 44-710d and
amendments thereto.
(cc) ``Benefit cost payments'' means
payments made to the employ-
ment security fund by a governmental entity electing to become a
rated
governmental employer.
(dd) ``Successor employer'' means any
employer, as described in sub-
section (h) of this section, which acquires or in any manner
succeeds to
(1) substantially all of the employing enterprises, organization,
trade or
business of another employer or (2) substantially all the assets of
another
employer.
(ee) ``Predecessor employer'' means an
employer, as described in
subsection (h) of this section, who has previously operated a
business or
portion of a business with employment to which another employer
has
succeeded.
(ff) ``Lessor employing unit'' means any
independently established
business entity which engages in the business of providing leased
em-
ployees to a client lessee.
(gg) ``Client lessee'' means any
individual, organization, partnership,
corporation or other legal entity leasing employees from a lessor
employ-
ing unit.
(hh) ``Qualifying injury'' means a
personal injury by accident arising
out of and in the course of employment within the coverage of
the Kansas
workers compensation act, K.S.A. 44-501 et seq., and
amendments
thereto.
Sec. 2. K.S.A. 44-705 is hereby
amended to read as follows: 44-705.
Except as provided by K.S.A. 44-757 and amendments thereto, an
un-
employed individual shall be eligible to receive benefits with
respect to
any week only if the secretary, or a person or persons designated
by the
secretary, finds that:
(a) The claimant has registered for work
at and thereafter continued
to report at an employment office in accordance with rules and
regula-
tions adopted by the secretary, except that, subject to the
provisions of
subsection (a) of K.S.A. 44-704 and amendments thereto, the
secretary
may adopt rules and regulations which waive or alter either or both
of
the requirements of this subsection (a).
(b) The claimant has made a claim for
benefits with respect to such
week in accordance with rules and regulations adopted by the
secretary.
(c) The claimant is able to perform the
duties of such claimant's cus-
tomary occupation or the duties of other occupations for which the
claim-
ant is reasonably fitted by training or experience, and is
available for work,
as demonstrated by the claimant's pursuit of the full course of
action most
reasonably calculated to result in the claimant's reemployment
except
that, notwithstanding any other provisions of this section, an
unemployed
claimant otherwise eligible for benefits shall not become
ineligible for
benefits because of the claimant's enrollment in and satisfactory
pursuit
of approved training, including training approved under section
236(a)(1)
of the trade act of 1974.
For the purposes of this subsection, an inmate
of a custodial or cor-
rectional institution shall be deemed to be unavailable for work
and not
eligible to receive unemployment compensation while
incarcerated.
(d) The claimant has been unemployed for
a waiting period of one
week or the claimant is unemployed and has satisfied the
requirement
for a waiting period of one week under the shared work
unemployment
compensation program as provided in subsection (k)(4) of K.S.A.
44-757
and amendments thereto, which period of one week, in either case,
occurs
within the benefit year which includes the week for which the
claimant
is claiming benefits. No week shall be counted as a week of
unemploy-
ment for the purposes of this subsection (d):
(1) If benefits have been paid for such
week;
(2) if the individual fails to meet with
the other eligibility require-
ments of this section; or
(3) if an individual is seeking
unemployment benefits under the un-
employment compensation law of any other state or of the United
States,
except that if the appropriate agency of such state or of the
United States
finally determines that the claimant is not entitled to
unemployment ben-
efits under such other law, this subsection (d)(3) shall not
apply.
(e) For benefit years established on and
after the effective date of
this act, the claimant has been paid total wages for insured work
in the
claimant's base period of not less than 30 times the claimant's
weekly
benefit amount and has been paid wages in more than one quarter of
the
claimant's base period, except that the wage credits of an
individual
earned during the period commencing with the end of a prior base
period
and ending on the date on which such individual filed a valid
initial claim
shall not be available for benefit purposes in a subsequent benefit
year
unless, in addition thereto, such individual has returned to work
and sub-
sequently earned wages for insured work in an amount equal to at
least
eight times the claimant's current weekly benefit amount.
(f) The claimant participates in
reemployment services, such as job
search assistance services, if the individual has been determined
to be
likely to exhaust regular benefits and needs reemployment services
pur-
suant to a profiling system established by the secretary, unless
the sec-
retary determines that: (1) The individual has completed such
services;
or (2) there is justifiable cause for the claimant's failure to
participate in
such services.
(g) The claimant is returning to work
after a qualifying injury and
has been paid total wages for insured work in the claimant's
alternative
base period of not less than 30 times the claimant's weekly
benefit amount
and has been paid wages in more than one quarter of the
claimant's al-
ternative base period if:
(1) The claimant has filed for
benefits within four weeks of being
released to return to work by a licensed and practicing health
care pro-
vider.
(2) The claimant files for benefits
within 24 months of the date the
qualifying injury occurred.
(3) The claimant attempted to return
to work with the employer
where the qualifying injury occurred, but the individual's
regular work
or comparable and suitable work was not available.
Sec. 3. K.S.A. 2001 Supp. 44-710 is
hereby amended to read as fol-
lows: 44-710. (a) Payment. Contributions shall accrue and
become pay-
able by each contributing employer for each calendar year in which
the
contributing employer is subject to the employment security law
with
respect to wages paid for employment. Such contributions shall
become
due and be paid by each contributing employer to the secretary for
the
employment security fund in accordance with such rules and
regulations
as the secretary may adopt and shall not be deducted, in whole or
in part,
from the wages of individuals in such employer's employ. In the
payment
of any contributions, a fractional part of $.01 shall be
disregarded unless
it amounts to $.005 or more, in which case it shall be increased to
$.01.
Should contributions for any calendar quarter be less than $1, no
payment
shall be required.
(b) Rates and base of
contributions. (1) Except as provided in para-
graph (2) of this subsection, each contributing employer shall pay
contri-
butions on wages paid by the contributing employer during each
calendar
year with respect to employment as provided in K.S.A. 44-710a
and
amendments thereto.
(2) (A) If the congress of the
United States either amends or repeals
the Wagner-Peyser act, the federal unemployment tax act, the
federal
social security act, or subtitle C of chapter 23 of the federal
internal
revenue code of 1986, or any act or acts supplemental to or in lieu
thereof,
or any part or parts of any such law, or if any such law, or any
part or
parts thereof, are held invalid with the effect that appropriations
of funds
by congress and grants thereof to the state of Kansas for the
payment of
costs of administration of the employment security law are no
longer
available for such purposes, or (B) if employers in Kansas subject
to the
payment of tax under the federal unemployment tax act are granted
full
credit against such tax for contributions or taxes paid to the
secretary of
human resources, then, and in either such case, beginning with the
year
in which the unavailability of federal appropriations and grants
for such
purpose occurs or in which such change in liability for payment of
such
federal tax occurs and for each year thereafter, the rate of
contributions
of each contributing employer shall be equal to the total of .5%
and the
rate of contributions as determined for such contributing employer
under
K.S.A. 44-710a and amendments thereto. The amount of
contributions
which each contributing employer becomes liable to pay under this
par-
agraph (2) over the amount of contributions which such contributing
em-
ployer would be otherwise liable to pay shall be credited to the
employ-
ment security administration fund to be disbursed and paid out
under the
same conditions and for the same purposes as other moneys are
author-
ized to be paid from the employment security administration fund,
except
that, if the secretary determines that as of the first day of
January of any
year there is an excess in the employment security administration
fund
over the amount required to be disbursed during such year, an
amount
equal to such excess as determined by the secretary shall be
transferred
to the employment security fund.
(c) Charging of benefit payments.
(1) The secretary shall maintain a
separate account for each contributing employer, and shall credit
the
contributing employer's account with all the contributions paid on
the
contributing employer's own behalf. Nothing in the employment
security
law shall be construed to grant any employer or individuals in such
em-
ployer's service prior claims or rights to the amounts paid by such
em-
ployer into the employment security fund either on such employer's
own
behalf or on behalf of such individuals. Benefits paid shall be
charged
against the accounts of each base period employer in the proportion
that
the base period wages paid to an eligible individual by each such
employer
bears to the total wages in the base period. Benefits shall be
charged to
contributing employers' accounts and rated governmental employers'
ac-
counts upon the basis of benefits paid during each twelve-month
period
ending on the computation date.
(2) (A) Benefits paid in benefit
years established by valid new claims
shall not be charged to the account of a contributing employer or
rated
governmental employer who is a base period employer if the
examiner
finds that claimant was separated from the claimant's most recent
em-
ployment with such employer under any of the following conditions:
(i)
Discharged for misconduct or gross misconduct connected with the
in-
dividual's work; or (ii) leaving work voluntarily without good
cause attrib-
utable to the claimant's work or the employer.
(B) Where base period wage credits of a
contributing employer or
rated governmental employer represent part-time employment and
the
claimant continues in that part-time employment with that employer
dur-
ing the period for which benefits are paid, then that employer's
account
shall not be charged with any part of the benefits paid if the
employer
provides the secretary with information as required by rules and
regula-
tions. For the purposes of this subsection (c)(2)(B), ``part-time
employ-
ment'' means any employment when an individual works concurrently
for
two or more employers and also works less than full-time for at
least one
of those employers because the individual's services are not
required for
the customary, scheduled full-time hours prevailing at the work
place or
the individual does not customarily work the regularly scheduled
full-time
hours due to personal choice or circumstances.
(C) No contributing employer or rated
governmental employer's ac-
count shall be charged with any extended benefits paid in
accordance
with the employment security law, except for weeks of
unemployment
beginning after December 31, 1978, all contributing governmental
em-
ployers and governmental rated employers shall be charged an
amount
equal to all extended benefits paid.
(D) No contributing employer or rated
governmental employer's ac-
count will be charged for benefits paid a claimant while pursuing
an ap-
proved training course as defined in subsection (s) of K.S.A.
44-703 and
amendments thereto.
(E) No contributing employer or rated
governmental employer's ac-
count shall be charged with respect to the benefits paid to any
individual
whose base period wages include wages for services not covered by
the
employment security law prior to January 1, 1978, to the extent
that the
employment security fund is reimbursed for such benefits pursuant
to
section 121 of public law 94-566 (90 Stat. 2673).
(F) With respect to weeks of unemployment
beginning after Decem-
ber 31, 1977, wages for insured work shall include wages paid for
previ-
ously uncovered services. For the purposes of this subsection
(c)(2)(F),
the term ``previously uncovered services'' means services which
were not
covered employment, at any time during the one-year period ending
De-
cember 31, 1975, except to the extent that assistance under title
II of the
federal emergency jobs and unemployment assistance act of 1974
was
paid on the basis of such services, and which:
(i) Are agricultural labor as defined in
subsection (w) of K.S.A. 44-
703 and amendments thereto or domestic service as defined in
subsection
(aa) of K.S.A. 44-703 and amendments thereto, or
(ii) are services performed by an
employee of this state or a political
subdivision thereof, as provided in subsection (i)(3)(E) of K.S.A.
44-703
and amendments thereto, or
(iii) are services performed by an
employee of a nonprofit educational
institution which is not an institution of higher education.
(G) No contributing employer or rated
governmental employer's ac-
count shall be charged with respect to their pro rata share of
benefit
charges if such charges are of $100 or less.
(3) The examiner shall notify any base
period employer whose ac-
count will be charged with benefits paid following the filing of a
valid
new claim and a determination by the examiner based on all
information
relating to the claim contained in the records of the division of
employ-
ment. Such notice shall become final and benefits charged to the
base
period employer's account in accordance with the claim unless
within 10
calendar days from the date the notice was sent, the base period
employer
requests in writing that the examiner reconsider the determination
and
furnishes any required information in accordance with the
secretary's
rules and regulations. In a similar manner, a notice of an
additional claim
followed by the first payment of benefits with respect to the
benefit year,
filed by an individual during a benefit year after a period in such
year
during which such individual was employed, shall be given to any
base
period employer of the individual who has requested such a notice
within
10 calendar days from the date the notice of the valid new claim
was sent
to such base period employer. For purposes of this subsection
(c)(3), if
the required information is not submitted or postmarked within a
re-
sponse time limit of 10 days after the base period employer notice
was
sent, the base period employer shall be deemed to have waived its
stand-
ing as a party to the proceedings arising from the claim and shall
be barred
from protesting any subsequent decisions about the claim by the
secre-
tary, a referee, the board of review or any court, except that the
base
period employer's response time limit may be waived or extended by
the
examiner or upon appeal, if timely response was impossible due to
ex-
cusable neglect. The examiner shall notify the employer of the
reconsid-
ered determination which shall be subject to appeal, or further
reconsid-
eration, in accordance with the provisions of K.S.A. 44-709 and
amendments thereto.
(4) Time, computation and
extension. In computing the period of
time for a base period employer response or appeals under this
section
from the examiner's or the special examiner's determination or from
the
referee's decision, the day of the act, event or default from which
the
designated period of time begins to run shall not be included. The
last
day of the period shall be included unless it is a Saturday, Sunday
or legal
holiday, in which event the period runs until the end of the next
day
which is not a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday.
(d) Pooled fund. All contributions
and payments in lieu of contribu-
tions and benefit cost payments to the employment security fund
shall
be pooled and available to pay benefits to any individual entitled
thereto
under the employment security law, regardless of the source of such
con-
tributions or payments in lieu of contributions or benefit cost
payments.
(e) Election to become reimbursing
employer; payment in lieu of con-
tributions. (1) Any governmental entity, Indian tribes or
tribal units, (sub-
divisions, subsidiaries or business enterprises wholly owned by
such In-
dian tribes), for which services are performed as described in
subsection
(i)(3)(E) of K.S.A. 44-703 and amendments thereto or any nonprofit
or-
ganization or group of nonprofit organizations described in
section
501(c)(3) of the federal internal revenue code of 1986 which is
exempt
from income tax under section 501(a) of such code, that becomes
subject
to the employment security law may elect to become a reimbursing
em-
ployer under this subsection (e)(1) and agree to pay the secretary
for the
employment security fund an amount equal to the amount of
regular
benefits and 1/2 of the extended benefits paid that are
attributable to
service in the employ of such reimbursing employer, except that
each
reimbursing governmental employer, Indian tribes or tribal units
shall
pay an amount equal to the amount of regular benefits and
extended
benefits paid for weeks of unemployment beginning after December
31,
1978, for governmental employers and December 21, 2000, for
Indian
tribes or tribal units to individuals for weeks of unemployment
which
begin during the effective period of such election.
(A) Any employer identified in this
subsection (e)(1) may elect to
become a reimbursing employer for a period encompassing not less
than
four complete calendar years if such employer files with the
secretary a
written notice of such election within the thirty-day period
immediately
following January 1 of any calendar year or within the thirty-day
period
immediately following the date on which a determination of
subjectivity
to the employment security law is issued, whichever occurs
later.
(B) Any employer which makes an election
to become a reimbursing
employer in accordance with subparagraph (A) of this subsection
(e)(1)
will continue to be liable for payments in lieu of contributions
until such
employer files with the secretary a written notice terminating its
election
not later than 30 days prior to the beginning of the calendar year
for
which such termination shall first be effective.
(C) Any employer identified in this
subsection (e)(1) which has re-
mained a contributing employer and has been paying contributions
under
the employment security law for a period subsequent to January 1,
1972,
may change to a reimbursing employer by filing with the secretary
not
later than 30 days prior to the beginning of any calendar year a
written
notice of election to become a reimbursing employer. Such election
shall
not be terminable by the employer for four complete calendar
years.
(D) The secretary may for good cause
extend the period within which
a notice of election, or a notice of termination, must be filed and
may
permit an election to be retroactive but not any earlier than with
respect
to benefits paid after January 1 of the year such election is
received.
(E) The secretary, in accordance with
such rules and regulations as
the secretary may adopt, shall notify each employer identified in
subsec-
tion (e)(1) of any determination which the secretary may make of
its status
as an employer and of the effective date of any election which it
makes
to become a reimbursing employer and of any termination of such
elec-
tion. Such determinations shall be subject to reconsideration,
appeal and
review in accordance with the provisions of K.S.A. 44-710b and
amend-
ments thereto.
(2) Reimbursement reports and
payments. Payments in lieu of con-
tributions shall be made in accordance with the provisions of
paragraph
(A) of this subsection (e)(2) by all reimbursing employers except
the state
of Kansas. Each reimbursing employer shall report total wages paid
dur-
ing each calendar quarter by filing quarterly wage reports with the
sec-
retary which shall be filed by the last day of the month following
the close
of each calendar quarter. Wage reports are deemed filed as of the
date
they are placed in the United States mail.
(A) At the end of each calendar quarter,
or at the end of any other
period as determined by the secretary, the secretary shall bill
each re-
imbursing employer, except the state of Kansas, (i) an amount to be
paid
which is equal to the full amount of regular benefits plus 1/2 of
the amount
of extended benefits paid during such quarter or other prescribed
period
that is attributable to service in the employ of such reimbursing
employer;
and (ii) for weeks of unemployment beginning after December 31,
1978,
each reimbursing governmental employer and December 21, 2000,
for
Indian tribes or tribal units shall be certified an amount to be
paid which
is equal to the full amount of regular benefits and extended
benefits paid
during such quarter or other prescribed period that is attributable
to
service in the employ of such reimbursing governmental
employer.
(B) Payment of any bill rendered under
paragraph (A) of this sub-
section (e)(2) shall be made not later than 30 days after such bill
was
mailed to the last known address of the reimbursing employer, or
oth-
erwise was delivered to such reimbursing employer, unless there has
been
an application for review and redetermination in accordance with
para-
graph (D) of this subsection (e)(2).
(C) Payments made by any reimbursing
employer under the provi-
sions of this subsection (e)(2) shall not be deducted or
deductible, in
whole or in part, from the remuneration of individuals in the
employ of
such employer.
(D) The amount due specified in any bill
from the secretary shall be
conclusive on the reimbursing employer, unless, not later than 15
days
after the bill was mailed to the last known address of such
employer, or
was otherwise delivered to such employer, the reimbursing employer
files
an application for redetermination in accordance with K.S.A.
44-710b and
amendments thereto.
(E) Past due payments of amounts
certified by the secretary under
this section shall be subject to the same interest, penalties and
actions
required by K.S.A. 44-717 and amendments thereto. (1) If any
non-
profit organization or group of nonprofit organizations described
in sec-
tion 501(c)(3) of the federal internal revenue code of 1986 or
govern-
mental reimbursing employer is delinquent in making payments of
amounts certified by the secretary under this section, the
secretary may
terminate such employer's election to make payments in lieu of
contri-
butions as of the beginning of the next calendar year and such
termination
shall be effective for such next calendar year and the calendar
year there-
after so that the termination is effective for two complete
calendar years.
(2) Failure of the Indian tribe or tribal unit to make
required payments,
including assessment of interest and penalty within 90 days of
receipt of
the bill will cause the Indian tribe to lose the option to make
payments
in lieu of contributions as described pursuant to paragraph (e)(1)
for the
following tax year unless payment in full is received before
contribution
rates for the next tax year are calculated. (3) Any Indian tribe
that loses
the option to make payments in lieu of contributions due to late
payment
or nonpayment, as described in paragraph (2), shall have such
option
reinstated, if after a period of one year, all contributions have
been made
on time and no contributions, payments in lieu of contributions for
ben-
efits paid, penalties or interest remain outstanding.
(F) Failure of the Indian tribe or any
tribal unit thereof to make
required payments, including assessments of interest and penalties,
after
all collection activities deemed necessary by the secretary have
been ex-
hausted, will cause services performed by such tribe to not be
treated as
employment for purposes of subsection (i)(3)(E) of K.S.A. 44-703
and
amendments thereto. If an Indian tribe fails to make payments
required
under this section, including assessments of interest and
penalties, within
90 days of a final notice of delinquency, the secretary shall
immediately
notify the United States internal revenue service and the United
States
department of labor. The secretary may determine that any Indian
tribe
that loses coverage pursuant to this paragraph may have services
per-
formed on behalf of such tribe again deemed ``employment'' if all
con-
tributions, payments in lieu of contributions, penalties and
interest have
been paid.
(G) In the discretion of the secretary,
any employer who elects to
become liable for payments in lieu of contributions and any
nonprofit
organization or group of nonprofit organizations described in
section 501
(c)(3) of the federal internal revenue code of 1986 or governmental
re-
imbursing employer or Indian tribe or tribal unit who is delinquent
in
filing reports or in making payments of amounts certified by the
secretary
under this section shall be required within 60 days after the
effective date
of such election, in the case of an eligible employer so electing,
or after
the date of notification to the delinquent employer under this
subsection
(e)(2)(G), in the case of a delinquent employer, to execute and
file with
the secretary a surety bond, except that the employer may elect, in
lieu
of a surety bond, to deposit with the secretary money or securities
as
approved by the secretary or to purchase and deliver to an escrow
agent
a certificate of deposit to guarantee payment. The amount of the
bond,
deposit or escrow agreement required by this subsection (e)(2)(G)
shall
not exceed 5.4% of the organization's taxable wages paid for
employment
by the eligible employer during the four calendar quarters
immediately
preceding the effective date of the election or the date of
notification, in
the case of a delinquent employer. If the employer did not pay
wages in
each of such four calendar quarters, the amount of the bond or
deposit
shall be as determined by the secretary. Upon the failure of an
employer
to comply with this subsection (e)(2)(G) within the time limits
imposed
or to maintain the required bond or deposit, the secretary may
terminate
the election of such eligible employer or delinquent employer, as
the case
may be, to make payments in lieu of contributions, and such
termination
shall be effective for the current and next calendar year.
(H) The state of Kansas shall make
reimbursement payments quar-
terly at a fiscal year rate which shall be based upon: (i) The
available
balance in the state's reimbursing account as of December 31 of
each
calendar year; (ii) the historical unemployment experience of all
covered
state agencies during prior years; (iii) the estimate of total
covered wages
to be paid during the ensuing calendar year; (iv) the applicable
fiscal year
rate of the claims processing and auditing fee under K.S.A. 75-3798
and
amendments thereto; and (v) actuarial and other information
furnished
to the secretary by the secretary of administration. In accordance
with
K.S.A. 75-3798 and amendments thereto, the claims processing and
au-
diting fees charged to state agencies shall be deducted from the
amounts
collected for the reimbursement payments under this paragraph (H)
prior
to making the quarterly reimbursement payments for the state of
Kansas.
The fiscal year rate shall be expressed as a percentage of covered
total
wages and shall be the same for all covered state agencies. The
fiscal year
rate for each fiscal year will be certified in writing by the
secretary to the
secretary of administration on July 15 of each year and such
certified rate
shall become effective on the July 1 immediately following the date
of
certification. A detailed listing of benefit charges applicable to
the state's
reimbursing account shall be furnished quarterly by the secretary
to the
secretary of administration and the total amount of charges
deducted
from previous reimbursing payments made by the state. On January 1
of
each year, if it is determined that benefit charges exceed the
amount of
prior reimbursing payments, an upward adjustment shall be made
there-
for in the fiscal year rate which will be certified on the ensuing
July 15.
If total payments exceed benefit charges, all or part of the excess
may be
refunded, at the discretion of the secretary, from the fund or
retained in
the fund as part of the payments which may be required for the next
fiscal
year.
(3) Allocation of benefit costs.
The reimbursing account of each re-
imbursing employer shall be charged the full amount of regular
benefits
and 1/2 of the amount of extended benefits paid except that each
reim-
bursing governmental employer's account shall be charged the
full
amount of regular benefits and extended benefits paid for weeks of
un-
employment beginning after December 31, 1978, to individuals
whose
entire base period wage credits are from such employer. When
benefits
received by an individual are based upon base period wage credits
from
more than one employer then the reimbursing employer's or
reimbursing
governmental employer's account shall be charged in the same ratio
as
base period wage credits from such employer bear to the
individual's total
base period wage credits. Notwithstanding any other provision of
the
employment security law, no reimbursing employer's or reimbursing
gov-
ernmental employer's account shall be charged for payments of
extended
benefits which are wholly reimbursed to the state by the federal
govern-
ment.
(A) Proportionate allocation (when
fewer than all reimbursing base
period employers are liable). If benefits paid to an
individual are based
on wages paid by one or more reimbursing employers and on wages
paid
by one or more contributing employers or rated governmental
employers,
the amount of benefits payable by each reimbursing employer shall
be
an amount which bears the same ratio to the total benefits paid to
the
individual as the total base period wages paid to the individual by
such
employer bears to the total base period wages paid to the
individual by
all of such individual's base period employers.
(B) Proportionate allocation (when all
base period employers are re-
imbursing employers). If benefits paid to an individual are
based on wages
paid by two or more reimbursing employers, the amount of benefits
pay-
able by each such employer shall be an amount which bears the
same
ratio to the total benefits paid to the individual as the total
base period
wages paid to the individual by such employer bear to the total
base
period wages paid to the individual by all of such individual's
base period
employers.
(4) Group accounts. Two or more
reimbursing employers may file a
joint application to the secretary for the establishment of a group
account
for the purpose of sharing the cost of benefits paid that are
attributable
to service in the employment of such reimbursing employers. Each
such
application shall identify and authorize a group representative to
act as
the group's agent for the purposes of this subsection (e)(4). Upon
ap-
proval of the application, the secretary shall establish a group
account for
such employers effective as of the beginning of the calendar
quarter in
which the secretary receives the application and shall notify the
group's
representative of the effective date of the account. Such account
shall
remain in effect for not less than four years and thereafter such
account
shall remain in effect until terminated at the discretion of the
secretary
or upon application by the group. Upon establishment of the
account,
each member of the group shall be liable for payments in lieu of
contri-
butions with respect to each calendar quarter in the amount that
bears
the same ratio to the total benefits paid in such quarter that are
attrib-
utable to service performed in the employ of all members of the
group
as the total wages paid for service in employment by such member
in
such quarter bear to the total wages paid during such quarter for
service
performed in the employ of all members of the group. The secretary
shall
adopt such rules and regulations as the secretary deems necessary
with
respect to applications for establishment, maintenance and
termination
of group accounts that are authorized by this subsection (e)(4),
for ad-
dition of new members to, and withdrawal of active members from
such
accounts, and for the determination of the amounts that are payable
un-
der this subsection (e)(4) by members of the group and the time
and
manner of such payments.
Sec. 4. K.S.A. 44-705 and K.S.A. 2001 Supp. 44-703 and
44-710 are
hereby repealed.
Sec. 5. This act shall take effect and be in force
from and after its
publication in the statute book.
Approved April 23, 2002.
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