Labor & Employment (Unemployment)

This bill amends Montana's unemployment insurance law to adjust the maximum number of weeks eligible individuals can receive benefits based on their earnings ratio. Under the new provisions, the number of full weeks of benefits a person can claim will depend on how their total base period earnings compare to their highest quarter of earnings, ranging from 8 weeks for lower ratios up to 24 weeks for higher ratios. The changes apply to unemployment claims filed on or after July 1, 2025, and directly affect workers who file for unemployment benefits in Montana.

This bill amends Montana's unemployment insurance laws to allow non-professional employees of educational institutions to claim unemployment benefits under federal guidelines. It specifically changes how benefits are calculated for workers who are not in instructional, research, or principal administrative roles, removing restrictions that previously prevented them from receiving benefits during breaks between academic terms. The key provision ensures that if a non-professional employee is denied benefits due to a reasonable expectation of returning to work, they may receive retroactive payments if they were not offered employment for the next term. This change aligns state law with federal standards for non-professional staff while maintaining existing rules for professional academic and administrative employees.

This bill (LC 3262) titled "Establishing a portable benefits plan" was introduced but never advanced beyond the drafting stage. It was assigned a drafter in December 2024, moved through several holds, and ultimately "died in process" on May 27, 2025. The provided context does not include the bill's specific provisions, target beneficiaries, or mechanisms, so no substantive summary can be generated. The bill's title suggests it aimed to create a system for workers to carry benefits between jobs, but no details on how this would function are available.

HB 812 aimed to revise state unemployment laws specifically concerning nonprofessional employees of educational institutions. Currently, employees in educational settings are generally denied unemployment benefits between academic terms if they have a reasonable assurance of returning to work. This bill proposed to allow nonprofessional employees of educational institutions to claim unemployment benefits during these interim periods, in alignment with federal law. The change would have enabled these specific workers to receive unemployment compensation during breaks when they might otherwise be ineligible.