Senator HARPOOTLIAN proposed the following amendment (4017R001.KMM.RAH):
Amend the bill, as and if amended, on page 3, line 26, by adding an appropriately numbered new SECTION to read:
/SECTION__. The Department of Employment and Workforce is authorized to use one hundred forty-five million dollars from the American Rescue Plan of 2021, P.L. 117-2, as amended, received by the State of South Carolina to implement a Return-to-Work Bonus Initiative to incentivize workers to rejoin the labor force, accept employment, and remain employed. Individuals with an active unemployment claim as of May 1, 2021 who (1) discontinue receiving unemployment insurance benefits, (2) subsequently accept an offer of employment in this State, and (3) complete four full weeks of employment shall receive a one-time bonus of one thousand two hundred dollars. The Department of Employment and Workforce will disburse the funds to all individuals who are eligible for the bonus. The Department of Employment and Workforce shall operate the Return-to-Work Bonus Initiative on a first-come, first-served basis until funds have been exhausted. No individual may receive more than one bonus from the Return-to-Work Bonus Initiative. /