§1493. Use and operation; withdrawals

A.(1) Monies requisitioned from the state's account in the unemployment trust fund shall be used exclusively for the payment of benefits and for refunds pursuant to R.S. 23:1551 and R.S. 23:1472(12)(H)(V), except that monies credited to this state's account pursuant to Section 903 of the Social Security Act, as amended, shall be used as provided in this Section. The administrator shall from time to time requisition from the unemployment trust fund such amounts, not exceeding the amounts standing to this state's account therein, as he deems necessary for the payment of such benefits and refunds for a reasonable future period. Upon receipt thereof such monies shall be deposited in the benefit account. Expenditures of such monies in the benefit account and refunds from the clearing account shall not be subject to any provisions of law requiring specific appropriations or other formal release by state officers of money in their custody. All warrants issued for the payment of benefits and refunds shall bear the signature of the administrator or his duly authorized agent for that purpose.

(2) Any balance of monies requisitioned from the unemployment trust fund which remains unclaimed or unpaid in the benefit account after the expiration of the period for which such sums were requisitioned shall either be deducted from estimates for, and may be utilized for the payment of benefits and refunds during succeeding periods, or, in the discretion of the administrator, shall be deposited with the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States of America, to the credit of this state's account in the unemployment trust fund, as provided in R.S. 23:1492.

B.(1) Monies credited to the account of this state in the unemployment trust fund by the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States of America pursuant to Section 903 of the Social Security Act, as amended, may not be requisitioned from this state's account or used except for the payment of benefits and for the payment of expenses incurred for the administration of this Chapter.

(2) Such monies may be requisitioned pursuant to Subsection A of this Section for the payment of benefits. Such monies may also be requisitioned and used for the payment of expenses incurred for the administration of this Chapter if the expenses are incurred and the money requisitioned pursuant to and after the date of enactment by the Legislature of Louisiana of a specific appropriation law which:

(a) Specifies the purposes for which such monies are appropriated and the amount appropriated therefor.

(b) Limits the period within which such monies may be obligated to a period ending not more than two years after the date of the enactment of the appropriation law.

(c) Limits the appropriated amount which may be obligated during any fiscal year ending June thirtieth to an amount which does not exceed the amount by which the aggregate of the monies credited to the account of this state pursuant to Section 903 of the Social Security Act, as amended; during the same fiscal year exceeds the aggregate of the amounts obligated pursuant to Section 903 of the Social Security Act for administration and paid out for benefits and charged against the monies credited to the account of this state.

(3) Amounts credited to the account of the state in the unemployment trust fund under Section 903 of the Social Security Act, as amended, which are obligated for expenses of administration or paid out for benefits shall be charged at the exact time in which the obligation is entered against equivalent amounts which were first credited and which are not already so charged.

C. Monies requisitioned as provided herein, as needed, for the payment of expenses of administration shall be deposited in the employment security administration fund, but, until expended, shall remain a part of the unemployment compensation fund. The administrator shall maintain a separate record of the deposit, obligation, expenditure, and return of the funds so deposited. Any such monies so deposited in the employment security administration fund which will not be obligated within the period specified by the appropriation law, or which remain unobligated within the period but which will not be expended, shall be returned promptly to the account of this state in the unemployment trust fund.

D. Any amount credited to the account of this state pursuant to Section 903 of the Social Security Act, as amended, which has been appropriated for expenses of administration of this Chapter, whether or not such amount has been withdrawn from the unemployment trust fund, shall be excluded from the balance of this state in the unemployment compensation fund for the purpose of computation of contributions under R.S. 23:1474 and 1536(D).

E. The appropriation, obligation, expenditure, and other disposition of such appropriated monies shall be accounted for in accordance with standards established by the United States Secretary of Labor.

F.(1) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Section, with respect to federal fiscal years ending in 1999, 2000, and 2001, any monies allocated to this state in the unemployment trust fund pursuant to Section 903 of the Social Security Act, as amended by the United States Congress under the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, may be used by this state only to pay expenses incurred for the administration of the state unemployment compensation law or for such stated purposes in accordance with any additional uses authorized by the United States Congress in the future, and may be used for such purpose without regard to any of the conditions prescribed in any of the preceding provisions of this Section.

(2) Monies requisitioned as provided in this Subsection, as needed, shall be deposited in the employment security administration fund, but until expended, shall remain a part of the unemployment compensation fund. The administrator shall maintain a separate record of the deposit, obligation, expenditure, and return of the funds so deposited.

Amended by Acts 1959, No. 4, §2; Acts 1969, No. 89, §1; Acts 1972, No. 337, §6; Acts 1997, No. 442, §1, eff. June 22, 1997; Acts 1999, No. 442, §1; Acts 2014, No. 349, §1.