SB217

What it does

• Increases the employee contribution to the state training and employment program from 0.10 percent to 0.20 percent of wages.
• Creates a new employer contribution of 0.40 percent of wages for the state training and employment program.
• Allows employers to use money they already paid in unemployment taxes as credit toward this new training tax, reducing their liability if the credit equals or exceeds the amount owed.
• Increases the percentage used to calculate standard employer unemployment rates from 73 percent to 100 percent starting January 1, 2027.
• Sets a minimum contribution rate of one percent for employers with less than four quarters of experience.
• Requires instructors at the Alaska Vocational Technical Center to submit fingerprints and pay fees for criminal background checks before serving in that role.
• Updates the table used to calculate weekly unemployment benefit amounts based on base period wages.