1.1    .................... moves to amend H.F. No. 3722, the delete everything amendment
1.2(H3722DE6), as follows:
1.3Page 90, delete section 58 and insert:

1.4    "Sec. 58. LUMBER COMPANY EXTRA BENEFITS.
1.5    Subdivision 1. Extra benefits; availability. Extra unemployment benefits are
1.6available to an applicant if the applicant was laid off due to lack of work from the
1.7Ainsworth Lumber Company plants in Cook.
1.8    Subd. 2. Payment from fund; effect on employer. Extra unemployment benefits
1.9are payable from the unemployment insurance trust fund. Extra unemployment benefits
1.10paid under this section will not be used in computing the experience rating of Ainsworth
1.11Lumber Company under Minnesota Statutes, section 268.047.
1.12    Subd. 3. Eligibility conditions. An applicant is eligible to receive extra
1.13unemployment benefits under this section for any week through December 31, 2008,
1.14following the effective date of the applicant's benefit account of regular unemployment
1.15benefits, as a result of a layoff described under subdivision 1, if:
1.16    (1) a majority of the applicant's wage credits were with Ainsworth Lumber Company
1.17or Ainsworth Engineered;
1.18    (2) the applicant meets the eligibility requirements of Minnesota Statutes, section
1.19268.085;
1.20    (3) the applicant is not subject to a disqualification under Minnesota Statutes, section
1.21268.095;
1.22    (4) the applicant is not entitled to regular unemployment benefits and the applicant
1.23is not entitled to receive unemployment benefits under any other state or federal law
1.24for that week; and
1.25    (5) the applicant is enrolled in, or has within the last two weeks successfully
1.26completed, a program that qualifies as reemployment assistance training under Minnesota
1.27Statutes, section 268.035, subdivision 21a, except that an applicant whose training is
2.1scheduled to begin in more than 30 days may be considered to be in training if: (i) the
2.2applicant's chosen training program does not offer an available start date within 30 days;
2.3(ii) the applicant is scheduled to begin training on the earliest available start date for
2.4the chosen training program; and (iii) the applicant is scheduled to begin training in no
2.5more than 60 days.
2.6    Subd. 4. Weekly amount of extra benefits. The weekly extra unemployment
2.7benefits amount available to an applicant is the same as the applicant's weekly regular
2.8unemployment benefit amount on the benefit account established as a result of a layoff
2.9under subdivision 1.
2.10    Subd. 5. Maximum amount of extra unemployment benefits. (a) The maximum
2.11amount of extra unemployment benefits available is equal to 13 weeks at the applicant's
2.12weekly extra unemployment benefits amount.
2.13    (b) If an applicant qualifies for a new regular benefit account under Minnesota
2.14Statutes, section 268.07, at any time after exhausting regular unemployment benefits
2.15as a result of the layoff under subdivision 1, the applicant must apply for and exhaust
2.16entitlement to those new regular unemployment benefits. The maximum amount of extra
2.17unemployment benefits available is reduced by any new regular unemployment benefits
2.18available if the majority of wage credits on that new regular benefit account were with
2.19Ainsworth Lumber Company or Ainsworth Engineered.
2.20    Subd. 6. Program expiration. This extra unemployment benefit program expires
2.21on December 31, 2008. No extra unemployment benefits may be paid for any week after
2.22the expiration of this program.
2.23    Subd. 7. Findings. The legislature finds that providing extra unemployment
2.24benefits to assist laid-off workers of Ainsworth Lumber Company, while in training, is
2.25appropriate because:
2.26    (1) the unemployment rate in the applicant's county of employment is higher than
2.27the statewide average rate of unemployment;
2.28    (2) the average weekly wages paid in the applicant's county of employment is below
2.29the statewide average weekly wage;
2.30    (3) the applicant's weekly wage is higher than the statewide average weekly wage;
2.31and
2.32    (4) the dislocated worker program has determined that the applicant does not
2.33currently possess skills making reemployment in a comparable position likely."