Senate advances bill slightly raising unemployment insurance contribution cap

The Utah Senate voted to pass House Bill 2002, a bill adjusting caps used to compute employer unemployment insurance contribution rates.

Senator McKay said the bill raises the statutory ceiling on the social contribution rate slightly — to 0.003 for calendar year 2022 and to 0.004 for 2023 and 2024 — to prevent employers from facing ‘‘exorbitantly’’ higher unemployment insurance rates as pandemic-era claims wind down. He described the change as intended to smooth employer costs while allowing the system to recover from high pandemic unemployment.

McKay moved to pass the bill under suspension of the rules and the Senate took a roll-call vote. The chair later announced the bill will be returned to the House for the Speaker’s signature. The transcript records the motion, the subsequent roll call, and the President’s announcement that the bill passed the body; a precise final tally was not fully enumerated on the floor transcript provided.