H.R. 1119: Unemployment Integrity Act of 2025

This bill is called the Unemployment Integrity Act of 2025 and proposes changes to the unemployment compensation system in the United States. The main goals of the bill are to encourage individuals receiving unemployment benefits to actively seek suitable work and to ensure compliance with new requirements. Below are the key provisions of the bill:

Interview Requirements

The bill introduces specific obligations for individuals who are claiming unemployment benefits:

• Claimants must respond to requests regarding available work.
• They must schedule and attend an interview related to reemployment services, as requested.
• Claimants may also be required to comply with requests such as undergoing drug testing or skill assessments.

Reporting Noncompliance

The bill allows employers or individuals who are considering hiring a claimant to report to the State if the claimant fails to meet these new requirements.

Audit Requirements

The Secretary of Labor is tasked with conducting a study within two years of the enactment of the bill to evaluate how increasing the number of random audits of unemployment benefits affects the management of state unemployment compensation laws. If the study indicates that more audits would improve outcomes, regulations will be established to increase the number of such audits.

Work Requirements for Extended and Emergency Unemployment Compensation

The bill also amends how extended unemployment compensation is handled:

• States will only receive funding from the extended unemployment compensation account if they have implemented the new interview and reporting requirements.
• This aims to ensure that state laws align with the federal requirements laid out in the bill before they can administer unemployment compensation.

Effective Dates

The requirements outlined in the bill will take effect one year after its enactment. However, for states with biennial legislative sessions, the provisions will go into effect after the first session following the enactment date.

Overall Intent

The overarching intent of the Unemployment Integrity Act of 2025 is to tighten the regulations surrounding unemployment benefits, enhance the accountability of claimants, and ultimately promote a quicker return to work for individuals receiving benefits.

Relevant Companies

• ADBE (Adobe Inc.): Potentially impacted as the company may have positions that require compliance with the new work requirements for unemployed individuals.
• GOOGL (Alphabet Inc.): Increased compliance burdens might affect hiring practices, particularly in how they process applications from the unemployed.
• AMZN (Amazon.com, Inc.): As a large employer, they could be directly involved in the interview requirements and may review how they consider unemployed applicants under the new regulations.