S.F. 1006 authorizes a program to provide extended unemployment benefits to applicants laid off from an iron ore mining employer or a related industry employer.

Section 1 [Iron Ore Mining and Related Industry Extended Unemployment Benefits Program]

Subdivision 1 [Availability of extended benefits] authorizes extended unemployment insurance benefits for applicants laid off after March 14, 2015, from an employer in the iron ore mining industry or from an employer providing goods or services to an iron mining industry employer if the applicant was laid off due to the cessation or substantial reduction in operations of an iron mining industry employer.    

Subdivision 2 [Eligibility requirements] provides eligibility for extended unemployment benefits through June 25, 2017, if an applicant received the majority of their wage credits from an employer included in the program and has exhausted regular benefits, and the applicant meets other statutory requirements for payment of unemployment benefits.

Subdivision 3 [Weekly and maximum amount of extended unemployment benefits] allows a maximum of 26 weeks of extended unemployment benefits under the program at the same weekly benefit amount as the regular unemployment benefit amount, except as provided in subdivision 4.

Subdivision 4 [Qualifying for a new regular benefit account] specifies that if an applicant again becomes eligible for new regular benefits, the applicant may take the greater of the new benefits or the extended benefits.

Subdivision 5 [Charging of benefits] excludes the extended unemployment benefits paid out under the program from being used in computing the future unemployment tax rate for taxpaying employers or from being charged to reimbursing employers.

Subdivision 6 [Eligibility for federal Trade Readjustment Allowance benefits] prevents applicants who applied for and were determined eligible for federal TRA benefits from being eligible for the extended unemployment benefits.

[Effective date] makes the effective date the day following final enactment and is retroactive to August 31, 2015.