subpart c - general provisions

19 USC 2311 - Agreements with States

(a) Authority of Secretary to enter into agreements 
The Secretary is authorized on behalf of the United States to enter into an agreement with any State, or with any State agency (referred to in this subpart as cooperating States and cooperating States agencies respectively). Under such an agreement, the cooperating State agency
(1)  as agent of the United States, will receive applications for, and will provide, payments on the basis provided in this part,
(2)  where appropriate, but in accordance with subsection (f) of this section, will afford adversely affected workers testing, counseling, referral to training and job search programs, and placement services,
(3)  will make any certifications required under section 2291 (c)(2)1 of this title, and
(4)  will otherwise cooperate with the Secretary and with other State and Federal agencies in providing payments and services under this part.
(b) Amendment, suspension, and termination of agreements 
Each agreement under this subpart shall provide the terms and conditions upon which the agreement may be amended, suspended, or terminated.
(c) Unemployment insurance 
Each agreement under this subpart shall provide that unemployment insurance otherwise payable to any adversely affected worker will not be denied or reduced for any week by reason of any right to payments under this part.
(d) Review 
A determination by a cooperating State agency with respect to entitlement to program benefits under an agreement is subject to review in the same manner and to the same extent as determinations under the applicable State law and only in that manner and to that extent.
(e) Coordination of benefits and assistance 
Any agreement entered into under this section shall provide for the coordination of the administration of the provisions for employment services, training, and supplemental assistance under sections 2295 and 2296 of this title and under title I of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 [29 U.S.C. 2801 et seq.] upon such terms and conditions as are established by the Secretary in consultation with the States and set forth in such agreement. Any agency of the State jointly administering such provisions under such agreement shall be considered to be a cooperating State agency for purposes of this part.
(f) Advising and interviewing adversely affected workers 
Each cooperating State agency shall, in carrying out subsection (a)(2) of this section
(1) advise each worker who applies for unemployment insurance of the benefits under this part and the procedures and deadlines for applying for such benefits,
(2) facilitate the early filing of petitions under section 2271 of this title for any workers that the agency considers are likely to be eligible for benefits under this part,
(3) advise each adversely affected worker to apply for training under section 2296 (a) of this title before, or at the same time, the worker applies for trade readjustment allowances under division I of subpart B of this part, and
(4) as soon as practicable, interview the adversely affected worker regarding suitable training opportunities available to the worker under section 2296 of this title and review such opportunities with the worker.
(g) Submission of information for coordination of workforce investment activities 
In order to promote the coordination of workforce investment activities in each State with activities carried out under this part, any agreement entered into under this section shall provide that the State shall submit to the Secretary, in such form as the Secretary may require, the description and information described in paragraphs (8) and (14) of section 112(b) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 [29 U.S.C. 2822 (b)].
[1] See References in Text note below.

19 USC 2312 - Administration absent State agreement

(a) Promulgation of regulations; fair hearing 
In any State where there is no agreement in force between a State or its agency under section 2311 of this title, the Secretary shall arrange under regulations prescribed by him for performance of all necessary functions under subpart B of this part, including provision for a fair hearing for any worker whose application for payments is denied.
(b) Review of final determination 
A final determination under subsection (a) of this section with respect to entitlement to program benefits under subpart B of this part is subject to review by the courts in the same manner and to the same extent as is provided by section 405 (g) of title 42.

19 USC 2313 - Payments to States

(a) Certification to Secretary of the Treasury for payment to cooperating States 
The Secretary shall from time to time certify to the Secretary of the Treasury for payment to each cooperating State the sums necessary to enable such State as agent of the United States to make payments provided for by this part.
(b) Utilization or return of money 
All money paid a State under this section shall be used solely for the purposes for which it is paid; and money so paid which is not used for such purposes shall be returned, at the time specified in the agreement under this subpart, to the Secretary of the Treasury.
(c) Surety bonds 
Any agreement under this subpart may require any officer or employee of the State certifying payments or disbursing funds under the agreement or otherwise participating in the performance of the agreement, to give a surety bond to the United States in such amount as the Secretary may deem necessary, and may provide for the payment of the cost of such bond from funds for carrying out the purposes of this part.

19 USC 2314 - Liabilities of certifying and disbursing officers

(a) Certifying officer 
No person designated by the Secretary, or designated pursuant to an agreement under this subpart, as a certifying officer, shall, in the absence of gross negligence or intent to defraud the United States, be liable with respect to any payment certified by him under this part.
(b) Disbursing officer 
No disbursing officer shall, in the absence of gross negligence or intent to defraud the United States, be liable with respect to any payment by him under this part if it was based upon a voucher signed by a certifying officer designated as provided in subsection (a) of this section.

19 USC 2315 - Fraud and recovery of overpayments

(a) Repayment; deductions 

(1) If a cooperating State agency, the Secretary, or a court of competent jurisdiction determines that any person has received any payment under this part to which the person was not entitled, including a payment referred to in subsection (b) of this section, such person shall be liable to repay such amount to the State agency or the Secretary, as the case may be, except that the State agency or the Secretary may waive such repayment if such agency or the Secretary determines, in accordance with guidelines prescribed by the Secretary, that
(A) the payment was made without fault on the part of such individual, and
(B) requiring such repayment would be contrary to equity and good conscience.
(2) Unless an overpayment is otherwise recovered, or waived under paragraph (1), the State agency or the Secretary shall recover the overpayment by deductions from any sums payable to such person under this part, under any Federal unemployment compensation law administered by the State agency or the Secretary, or under any other Federal law administered by the State agency or the Secretary which provides for the payment of assistance or an allowance with respect to unemployment, and, notwithstanding any other provision of State law or Federal law to the contrary, the Secretary may require the State agency to recover any overpayment under this part by deduction from any unemployment insurance payable to such person under the State law, except that no single deduction under this paragraph shall exceed 50 percent of the amount otherwise payable.
(b) False representation or nondisclosure of material fact 
If a cooperating State agency, the Secretary, or a court of competent jurisdiction determines that an individual
(1) knowingly has made, or caused another to make, a false statement or representation of a material fact, or
(2) knowingly has failed, or caused another to fail, to disclose a material fact,

and as a result of such false statement or representation, or of such nondisclosure, such individual has received any payment under this part to which the individual was not entitled, such individual shall, in addition to any other penalty provided by law, be ineligible for any further payments under this part.

(c) Notice of determination; fair hearing; finality 
Except for overpayments determined by a court of competent jurisdiction, no repayment may be required, and no deduction may be made, under this section until a determination under subsection (a)(1) of this section by the State agency or the Secretary, as the case may be, has been made, notice of the determination and an opportunity for a fair hearing thereon has been given to the individual concerned, and the determination has become final.
(d) Recovered amount returned to Treasury 
Any amount recovered under this section shall be returned to the Treasury of the United States.

19 USC 2316 - Penalties

Whoever makes a false statement of a material fact knowing it to be false, or knowingly fails to disclose a material fact, for the purpose of obtaining or increasing for himself or for any other person any payment authorized to be furnished under this part or pursuant to an agreement under section 2311 of this title shall be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both.

19 USC 2317 - Authorization of appropriations

(a) In general 
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Labor, for the period beginning October 1, 2001, and ending December 31, 2007, such sums as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this part.
(b) Period of expenditure 
Funds obligated for any fiscal year to carry out activities under sections 2295 through 2298 of this title may be expended by each State receiving such funds during that fiscal year and the succeeding two fiscal years.

19 USC 2318 - Demonstration project for alternative trade adjustment assistance for older workers

(a) In general 

(1) Establishment 
Not later than 1 year after August 6, 2002, the Secretary shall establish an alternative trade adjustment assistance program for older workers that provides the benefits described in paragraph (2).
(2) Benefits 

(A) Payments 
A State shall use the funds provided to the State under section 2313 of this title to pay, for a period not to exceed 2 years, to a worker described in paragraph (3)(B), 50 percent of the difference between
(i) the wages received by the worker from reemployment; and
(ii) the wages received by the worker at the time of separation.
(B) Health insurance 
A worker described in paragraph (3)(B) participating in the program established under paragraph (1) is eligible to receive, for a period not to exceed 2 years, a credit for health insurance costs under section 35 of title 26, as added by section 201 of the Trade Act of 2002.
(3) Eligibility 

(A) Firm eligibility 

(i) In general The Secretary shall provide the opportunity for a group of workers on whose behalf a petition is filed under section 2271 of this title to request that the group of workers be certified for the alternative trade adjustment assistance program under this section at the time the petition is filed.
(ii) Criteria In determining whether to certify a group of workers as eligible for the alternative trade adjustment assistance program, the Secretary shall consider the following criteria:
(I) Whether a significant number of workers in the workers firm are 50 years of age or older.
(II) Whether the workers in the workers firm possess skills that are not easily transferable.
(III) The competitive conditions within the workers industry.
(iii) Deadline The Secretary shall determine whether the workers in the group are eligible for the alternative trade adjustment assistance program by the date specified in section 2273 (a) of this title.
(B) Individual eligibility 
A worker in the group that the Secretary has certified as eligible for the alternative trade adjustment assistance program may elect to receive benefits under the alternative trade adjustment assistance program if the worker
(i) is covered by a certification under subpart A of this part;
(ii) obtains reemployment not more than 26 weeks after the date of separation from the adversely affected employment;
(iii) is at least 50 years of age;
(iv) earns not more than $50,000 a year in wages from reemployment;
(v) is employed on a full-time basis as defined by State law in the State in which the worker is employed; and
(vi) does not return to the employment from which the worker was separated.
(4) Total amount of payments 
The payments described in paragraph (2)(A) made to a worker may not exceed $10,000 per worker during the 2-year eligibility period.
(5) Limitation on other benefits 
Except as provided in paragraph (2)(B), if a worker is receiving payments pursuant to the program established under paragraph (1), the worker shall not be eligible to receive any other benefits under this subchapter.
(b) Termination 

(1) In general 
Except as provided in paragraph (2), no payments may be made by a State under the program established under subsection (a)(1) of this section after the date that is 5 years after the date on which such program is implemented by the State.
(2) Exception 
Notwithstanding paragraph (1), a worker receiving payments under the program established under subsection (a)(1) of this section on the termination date described in paragraph (1) shall continue to receive such payments if the worker meets the criteria described in subsection (a)(3)(B) of this section.

19 USC 2319 - Definitions

For purposes of this part
(1) The term adversely affected employment means employment in a firm or appropriate subdivision of a firm, if workers of such firm or subdivision are eligible to apply for adjustment assistance under this part.
(2) The term adversely affected worker means an individual who, because of lack of work in adversely affected employment
(A) has been totally or partially separated from such employment, or
(B) has been totally separated from employment with the firm in a subdivision of which such adversely affected employment exists.
(3) Repealed. Pub. L. 97–35, title XXV, § 2511(1), Aug. 13, 1981, 95 Stat. 888.
(4) The term average weekly wage means one-thirteenth of the total wages paid to an individual in the high quarter. For purposes of this computation, the high quarter shall be that quarter in which the individuals total wages were highest among the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters immediately before the quarter in which occurs the week with respect to which the computation is made. Such week shall be the week in which total separation occurred, or, in cases where partial separation is claimed, an appropriate week, as defined in regulations prescribed by the Secretary.
(5) The term average weekly hours means the average hours worked by the individual (excluding overtime) in the employment from which he has been or claims to have been separated in the 52 weeks (excluding weeks during which the individual was sick or on vacation) preceding the week specified in the last sentence of paragraph (4).
(6) The term partial separation means, with respect to an individual who has not been totally separated, that he has had
(A) his hours of work reduced to 80 percent or less of his average weekly hours in adversely affected employment, and
(B) his wages reduced to 80 percent or less of his average weekly wage in such adversely affected employment.
(7) Repealed. Pub. L. 97–35, title XXV, § 2511(1), Aug. 13, 1981, 95 Stat. 888.
(8) The term State includes the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and the term United States when used in the geographical sense includes such Commonwealth.
(9) The term State agency means the agency of the State which administers the State law.
(10) The term State law means the unemployment insurance law of the State approved by the Secretary of Labor under section 3304 of title 26.
(11) The term total separation means the layoff or severance of an individual from employment with a firm in which, or in a subdivision of which, adversely affected employment exists.
(12) The term unemployment insurance means the unemployment compensation payable to an individual under any State law or Federal unemployment compensation law, including chapter 85 of title 5 and the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act [45 U.S.C. 351 et seq.]. The terms regular compensation, additional compensation, and extended compensation have the same respective meanings that are given them in section 205(2), (3), and (4) of the Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970 (26 U.S.C. 3304 note ).
(13) The term week means a week as defined in the applicable State law.
(14) The term week of unemployment means a week of total, part-total, or partial unemployment as determined under the applicable State law or Federal unemployment insurance law.
(15) The term benefit period means, with respect to an individual
(A) the benefit year and any ensuing period, as determined under applicable State law, during which the individual is eligible for regular compensation, additional compensation, or extended compensation, or
(B) the equivalent to such a benefit year or ensuing period provided for under the applicable Federal unemployment insurance law.
(16) The term on-the-job training means training provided by an employer to an individual who is employed by the employer.
(17) 
(A) The term job search program means a job search workshop or job finding club.
(B) The term job search workshop means a short (1 to 3 days) seminar designed to provide participants with knowledge that will enable the participants to find jobs. Subjects are not limited to, but should include, labor market information, resume writing, interviewing techniques, and techniques for finding job openings.
(C) The term job finding club means a job search workshop which includes a period (1 to 2 weeks) of structured, supervised activity in which participants attempt to obtain jobs.

19 USC 2320 - Regulations

The Secretary shall prescribe such regulations as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this part.

19 USC 2321 - Subpena power

(a) Subpena by Secretary 
The Secretary may require by subpena the attendance of witnesses and the production of evidence necessary for him to make a determination under the provisions of this part.
(b) Court order 
If a person refuses to obey a subpena issued under subsection (a) of this section, a United States district court within the jurisdiction of which the relevant proceeding under this part is conducted may, upon petition by the Secretary, issue an order requiring compliance with such subpena.

19 USC 2322 - Repealed. Pub. L. 107210, div. A, title I, 123(b)(2), Aug. 6, 2002, 116 Stat. 944

Section, Pub. L. 93–618, title II, § 249A, as added Pub. L. 103–182, title V, § 503(c), Dec. 8, 1993, 107 Stat. 2151, prohibited assistance relating to a separation pursuant to certifications under both subparts A and D of this part.