South Carolina General Assembly
114th Session, 2001-2002

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Bill 668


                    Current Status

Bill Number:                      668
Ratification Number:              399
Act Number:                       306
Type of Legislation:              General Bill GB
Introducing Body:                 Senate
Introduced Date:                  20010508
Primary Sponsor:                  J. Verne Smith
All Sponsors:                     J. Verne Smith
Drafted Document Number:          l:\s-res\jvs\007taxr.mrh.doc
Date Bill Passed both Bodies:     20020528
Date of Last Amendment:           20020521
Governor's Action:                S
Date of Governor's Action:        20020605
Subject:                          Employment security laws; Native American 
                                  tribes may be named as a reimbursable 
                                  employer; rates of contributions


                        History

Body    Date      Action Description                     Com     Leg Involved
______  ________  ______________________________________ _______ ____________
------  20020618  Act No. A306
------  20020605  Signed by Governor
------  20020530  Ratified R399
Senate  20020528  Concurred in House amendment, 
                  enrolled for ratification
House   20020522  Read third time, returned to Senate
                  with amendment
House   20020521  Amended, read second time
House   20020516  Committee report: Favorable with       26 HLCI
                  amendment
House   20020221  Introduced, read first time,           26 HLCI
                  referred to Committee
Senate  20020220  Read third time, sent to House
Senate  20020219  Read second time, notice of
                  general amendments
------  20020215  Scrivener's error corrected
Senate  20020214  Committee report: Favorable            12 SLCI
Senate  20010508  Introduced, read first time,           12 SLCI
                  referred to Committee


              Versions of This Bill
Revised on February 14, 2002 - Word format
Revised on February 15, 2002 - Word format
Revised on May 16, 2002 - Word format
Revised on May 21, 2002 - Word format

View additional legislative information at the LPITS web site.


(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

(A306, R399, S668)

AN ACT TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING SECTION 41-27-235 SO AS TO ALLOW NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES THE OPTION OF ELECTION AS A REIMBURSABLE EMPLOYER FOR PURPOSES OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA EMPLOYMENT SECURITY LAW; TO AMEND SECTION 41-27-210, RELATING TO THE DEFINITION OF "EMPLOYER", SO AS TO EXTEND THE DEFINITION TO ANY NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBE AND ANY EMPLOYING UNIT REQUIRED TO PAY THE FEDERAL UNEMPLOYMENT TAX; TO AMEND SECTION 41-27-260, AS AMENDED, RELATING TO THE DEFINITION OF "EMPLOYMENT", SO AS TO EXTEND THE DEFINITION TO AN APPOINTED SUCCESSOR TO AN ELECTED OFFICIAL AND ADD AN EXEMPTION DEFINITION PERTAINING TO NATIVE AMERICANS; TO AMEND SECTION 41-31-40, AS AMENDED, RELATING TO AN EMPLOYER'S BASE RATE COMPUTATION PERIOD, SO AS TO EXPERIENCE RATE NEW EMPLOYERS AFTER TWELVE MONTHS AT THE NEXT ANNUAL RATING FOLLOWING THE YEAR IN WHICH THEY REACH THEIR TWELVE-MONTH EXPERIENCE STATUS; TO AMEND SECTION 41-31-60, AS AMENDED, RELATING TO THE EMPLOYER DELINQUENT REPORT PENALTY, SO AS TO REDUCE THIS PENALTY; TO AMEND SECTION 41-31-110, AS AMENDED, RELATING TO THE SUCCESSOR RATING PERIOD, SO AS TO REDUCE THE RATING PERIOD TO ONCE A YEAR; TO AMEND SECTION 41-31-160, RELATING TO CONTRIBUTION REPORTS, SO AS TO REQUIRE ELECTRONIC CONTRIBUTION AND WAGE REPORTS FOR EMPLOYERS REPORTING TWO HUNDRED FIFTY OR MORE EMPLOYEES IN 2003 AND EMPLOYERS REPORTING ONE HUNDRED OR MORE EMPLOYEES IN 2005; AND TO AMEND SECTION 41-33-80, RELATING TO THE UNEMPLOYMENT TRUST FUND, SO AS TO CORRECT A REFERENCE.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

Employment by Native American tribes

SECTION 1. Article 3, Chapter 27, Title 41 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

"Section 41-27-235. (A) The term 'employment' means service performed in the employ of a Native American tribe, as defined in Section 3306(u) of the Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA), if the service is excluded from 'employment' as defined in FUTA solely by reason of Section 3306(C)(7), FUTA, and is not otherwise excluded from 'employment' under this title.

(B) Benefits based on service in employment defined in this section are payable in the same amount, on the same terms, and subject to the same conditions as benefits payable on the basis of other service subject under this title.

(C)(1) Native American tribes or tribal units including subdivisions, subsidiaries, or business enterprises wholly owned by such tribes subject to this title shall pay contributions under the same terms and conditions as all other subject employers, unless they elect to pay into the state unemployment trust fund amounts equal to the amount of benefits attributable to service in the employ of the Native American tribe or tribal unit including all extended benefits paid for any reason.

(2) Native American tribes or tribal units that elect to pay benefits attributable to service in their employ but fail to reimburse the required payments, including interest and penalty assessments, within ninety days of the receipt of a bill, cause the Native American tribe or tribal unit to lose the option to make payments in lieu of contributions for the following tax year unless payment in full is received before the contribution rates for the next year are computed. The commission shall notify the United States Internal Revenue Service and the United States Department of Labor of a tribe or tribal unit's failure to make required payments within ninety days of a final notice of delinquency.

(3) A Native American tribe or tribal unit that loses the option to make payments in lieu of contributions shall have that option reinstated if, after a period of one year, all contributions have been paid on a timely basis and no contributions, payments in lieu of contributions, penalties, or interest remain outstanding."

Employer defined

SECTION 2. Section 41-27-210 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding at the end:

"(13) Any Native American tribe or tribal unit for which service in employment as defined in Chapters 27 through 41 of this title is performed.

(14) Any employing unit which is liable under the Federal Unemployment Tax Act, Section 3301 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, is a covered employer immediately upon having its first South Carolina employment, regardless of the number of employees working in South Carolina or the period for which they are employed."

Employment defined

SECTION 3. A. Section 41-27-260(5)(a) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"(a) As an elected official or as the appointed successor of an elected official;"

B. Section 41-27-260 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 7 of 1995, is further amended by adding at the end:

"(17) Services performed as a member of a Native American tribal council or services in a fishing rights related activity of a Native American tribe by a member of such tribe for another member of such tribe or by a qualified Native American entity."

Base rate computation period

SECTION 4. Section 41-31-40 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 37 of 1999, is further amended to read:

"Section 41-31-40. Each employer's base rate for the twelve months commencing January first of any calendar year is determined in accordance with Section 41-31-50 on the basis of his record up to July first of the preceding calendar year, but no employer's base rate is less than two and sixty-four hundredths percent until there have been twelve consecutive months of coverage after first becoming liable for contributions under Chapters 27 through 41 of this title. Each employer who completes twelve consecutive calendar months of coverage after first becoming liable for contributions under the chapters during the current calendar year shall have a base rate computed on the basis of his record up through the next occurring June thirtieth, with that base rate being effective for the next calendar year beginning in January."

Delinquent penalty

SECTION 5. Section 41-31-60(1) of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 37 of 1999, is further amended to read:

"(1) If on the computation date upon which an employer's base rate is to be computed as provided in Section 41-31-40 there is a delinquent report, a base rate of two and sixty-four hundredths percent must be assigned for the period to which the computation applies. If the base rate for the prior year or the computed base rate for the computation period is greater than two and sixty-four hundredths percent, the higher rate must be assigned until the next computation date."

Successor rating period

SECTION 6. Section 41-31-110 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 37 of 1999, is further amended to read:

"Section 41-31-110. Whenever any person or other legal entity has in any manner succeeded to or has acquired substantially all or a distinct and severable portion of the business of another, as provided in Sections 41-31-100 and 41-31-120, the base rates of contributions are computed as follows:

(a) If the successor is not already an employer at the time of the acquisition, the base rate of contributions applicable to the predecessor employer with respect to the period immediately preceding the date of acquisition, if there is only one predecessor employer, shall apply to the successor employer for the remainder of the calendar year.

(b) If the successor is not already an employer at the time of the acquisition and there is more than one transferring employer with a different base rate, the successor employer is assigned the base rate of that transferring employer who has the highest base rate with the base rate being applicable for the remainder of the year.

(c) If the successor is already an employer at the time of the acquisition, the base rate of contributions applicable at the time of the acquisition to the successor employer shall continue to be applicable for the remainder of the year.

For the purposes of items (a), (b), and (c), the base rate as assigned continues in effect for the remainder of the calendar year and until the time the combined employment benefit experience record meets the requirements as provided in Section 41-31-40."

Contribution reports

SECTION 7. Section 41-31-160 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 41-31-160. The commission shall not require contribution and wage reports more frequently than quarterly. Effective with the quarter ending March 31, 2003, every employer with two hundred fifty or more employees and every individual or organization that, as an agent, reports wages on a total of two hundred fifty or more employees on behalf of one or more subject employers, and effective with the quarter ending March 31, 2005, every employer with one hundred or more employees and every individual or organization that, as an agent, reports wages on a total of one hundred or more employees on behalf of one or more subject employers, shall file that portion of the 'Employer Quarterly Contribution and Wage Reports' containing the employee's social security number, name, and total wages on magnetic tapes, diskettes, or electronically, in a format approved by the commission. The commission may waive the requirement to file using magnetic media if hardship is shown. In determining whether a hardship has been shown, the commission shall take into account, among other relevant factors, the ability of the taxpayer to comply with the filing requirement at a reasonable cost."

Reference corrected

SECTION 8. The first paragraph of Section 41-33-80 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Except as provided in Section 41-33-180, monies must be requisitioned from this state's account in the unemployment trust fund solely for the payment of benefits or refunds pursuant to Section 41-31-360 or item (6) of Section 41-27-260 and in accordance with regulations prescribed by the commission, except that money credited to this account pursuant to Section 903 of the Social Security Act, as amended, must be used exclusively as provided in Sections 41-33-130 to 41-33-160."

Time effective

SECTION 9. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

Ratified the 30th day of May, 2002.

Approved the 5th day of June, 2002.

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