SB1874 • 2026

Unemployment Compensation

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 50-7-303, relative to suitable work requirements.

Education Labor

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Johnson, Lamberth
Last action: 2026-05-27
Official status: Comp. became Pub. Ch. 1043
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Unemployment Compensation

Present law disqualifies an applicant for unemployment benefits if the administrator finds that the applicant failed without good cause to apply for or accept suitable work.

What This Bill Does

Present law disqualifies an applicant for unemployment benefits if the administrator finds that the applicant failed without good cause to apply for or accept suitable work.
Suitable work is determined by evaluating the risk involved to the claimant's h ealth, their prior earnings, and the distance of the available work from the applicant's residence.
Work is deemed suitable if the gross weekly wages equal or exceed the following sliding scale of the claimant's high-quarter wages: (i) 100% during the fi rs t 13 weeks of unemployment; (ii) 7 5% for weeks 14 through 25 ; (iii) 70% for weeks 26 through 38 ; and (iv) 65% after the 38th week.
This bill alters the criteria for maintaining benefit eligibility by removing the specific mathematical , wage-based sliding scale protections .

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

2026-05-27 Tennessee General Assembly
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 1043
2026-05-27 Tennessee General Assembly
Effective date(s) 05/21/2026
2026-05-27 Tennessee General Assembly
Pub. Ch. 1043
2026-05-21 Tennessee General Assembly
Signed by Governor.
2026-05-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Transmitted to Governor for his action.
2026-05-05 Tennessee General Assembly
Signed by Senate Speaker
2026-04-30 Tennessee General Assembly
Signed by H. Speaker
2026-04-27 Tennessee General Assembly
Enrolled; ready for sig. of H. Speaker.
2026-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly
Companion House Bill substituted
2026-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed Senate, Ayes 27, Nays 6
2026-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly
Senate substituted House Bill for companion Senate Bill.
2026-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/21/2026
2026-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/21/2026
2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly
Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee
2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Commerce and Labor Committee calendar for 4/7/2026
2026-03-16 Tennessee General Assembly
Received from House, Passed on First Consideration
2026-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly
Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.
2026-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2026-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed H., Ayes 70, Nays 15, PNV 0
2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly
Action deferred in Senate Commerce & Labor Committee to 3/17/2026
2026-03-09 Tennessee General Assembly
H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 3/12/2026
2026-03-09 Tennessee General Assembly
Objected to on Consent Calendar.
2026-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly
H. Placed on Consent Calendar for 3/9/2026
2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Commerce and Labor Committee calendar for 3/10/2026
2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/5/2026
2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee
2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly
Action deferred in Senate Commerce and Labor Committee to 3/10/2026
2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Commerce Committee for 3/4/2026
2026-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Commerce and Labor Committee calendar for 3/3/2026
2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Commerce Committee
2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Banking & Consumer Affairs Subcommittee for 2/18/2026
2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly
Assigned to s/c Banking & Consumer Affairs Subcommittee
2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly
P2C, ref. to Commerce Committee
2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Intro., P1C.
2026-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction
2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Commerce and Labor Committee
2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly
Introduced, Passed on First Consideration
2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law disqualifies an applicant for unemployment benefits if the administrator finds that the applicant failed without good cause to apply for or accept suitable work. Suitable work is determined by evaluating the risk involved to the claimant's h
ealth, their prior earnings, and the distance of the available work from the applicant's residence. Work is deemed suitable if the gross weekly wages equal or exceed the following sliding scale of the claimant's high-quarter wages: (i) 100% during the fi
rs
t 13 weeks of unemployment; (ii) 7
5% for weeks 14 through 25
; (iii)
70% for weeks 26 through 38
;
and
(iv)
65% after the 38th week.

This bill
alters the criteria for maintaining benefit eligibility by removing the specific mathematical
,
wage-based
sliding scale
protections
. Under this bill, a
claimant is disqualified if the administrator finds the
claimant
failed without good cause to apply for or accept suitable work, which is now determined solely by considering
all of the following: (i)
the degree of risk involved to the claimant's health, safety
,
and morals
;

(ii)
the claimant's physical fitness and prior training
;
and
(iii)
their
experience and prior earnings
. This bill also removes the
statutory
minimum wage
that work must meet to be deemed suitable
to receive unemployment benefits.

STUDENTS AND VETERANS

The present sliding scale affects
eligibility conditions for students, who become ineligible if they refuse the same job previously held if that job meets the standards
for suitable work
as required by applicable federal la
w. Similarly, a veteran enrolled in school under the federal G.I. Bill must not be denied benefits solely for school attendance, but they become ineligible if they refuse an offer for the same job they held subsequent to receiving unemployment benefits i
f the offer qualifies as suitable
work.

This bill's new suitable work standard alters eligibility for students and veterans enrolled in school under the federal G.I. Bill. If a student or veteran is offered the same job that
the claimant previously held immediately prior to entering school and refuses it, such student or veteran can be found to be ineligible for benefits at the administrator's discretion if the work is found to be suitable after considering the (i) degree of
risk involved to the claimant's health, safety, and morals; (ii) the a
pplicant's physical fitness and prior training; and (iii) their experience and prior earnings.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HOUSE BILL 2542
By Lamberth

SENATE BILL 1874
By Johnson
SB1874
010032
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Section
50-7-303, relative to suitable work requirements.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 50-7-303(a)(3)(A), is amended by
deleting subdivisions (i)-(iv) and deleting "Work is suitable if the work meets all the other criteria
of this subdivision (a)(3) and if the gross weekly wages for the work equal or exceed the
following percentages of the claimant's average weekly wage for insured work paid to the
claimant during that quarter of the claimant's base period in which the claimant's wages were
highest:".
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.