Senators in North Carolina have approved a bill that would give unemployed North Carolinians $800 or $1,500 as an incentive after securing a new job.
House Bill 128 serves as an act to reemploy the state’s workforce by providing bonuses for accepting reemployment and requiring individuals to respond to employer requests and administrative changes to the unemployment insurance laws.
To dish out the funds, the state would seek approval from the U.S. Department of Labor to use funds appropriated by Congress for the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) program to provide a “signing bonus” for unemployed claimants who accept reemployment.
The back-to-work bonus would vary and be payable as follows:
- A $1,500 bonus for accepting reemployment on or before June 1, payable in two installments: 50 percent after 30 days of employment and the remainder after 60 days of employment
- An $800 bonus for accepting reemployment on or before July 1, payable in two installments: 50 percent after 20 days of employment and the remainder after 60 days of employment
- No bonus paid for accepting reemployment after September 6, 2021.
