§ 28-44-11 — § 28-44-11. Earnings requirement for benefits.

§ 28-44-11. Earnings requirement for benefits.

(a) An individual shall be deemed eligible for benefits for any given week of his or her unemployment only if he or she has within the base period immediately preceding the benefit year in which that week of unemployment occurs earned wages amounting to at least twenty (20) times the minimum hourly wage as defined in chapter 12 of this title in each of at least twenty (20) weeks, or, in the alternative, in an amount equal to three (3) times the total minimum amount required; provided, that this section as amended by P.L. 1976, ch. 297, §â€‚1 applies only to those individuals whose benefit years begin on or after July 4, 1976, and prior to October 1, 1989.

(b)(1) In order to be deemed eligible for benefits an individual whose benefit year begins on or after October 1, 1989:

(i) Must have been paid wages in any one calendar quarter of the base period that are at least two hundred (200) times the minimum hourly wage as defined in chapter 12 of this title, and must have been paid wages in the base period amounting to at least one and one-half (1¹/₂) times the wages paid to the individual in that calendar quarter of the base period in which the individual's wages were highest; provided, that the minimum amount of total base period wages paid to the individual must be at least four hundred (400) times the minimum hourly wage as defined in chapter 12 of this title. The base period wages must have been paid to the individual for performing services in employment for one or more employers subject to chapters 42 — 44 of this title; or

(ii) Must have been paid wages in the base period for performing services in employment for one or more employers subject to chapters 42 — 44 of this title amounting to at least three (3) times the total minimum amount required in subsection (b)(1)(i) of this section.

(2) Notwithstanding any of the above, no otherwise eligible individual who has received benefits in a preceding benefit year shall be eligible to receive benefits in a succeeding benefit year unless the individual, subsequent to the beginning of the preceding benefit year, has earned wages for performing services in employment for one or more employers subject to chapters 42 — 44 of this title amounting to at least eighty (80) times the minimum hourly wage as defined in chapter 12 of this title.

Legislative History

P.L. 1936, ch. 2333, § 7; P.L. 1937, ch. 2556, § 1; G.L. 1938, ch. 284, § 7; P.L. 1939, ch. 670, § 5; P.L. 1940, ch. 812, § 4; P.L. 1949, ch. 2175, § 1; P.L. 1951, ch. 2835, § 2; P.L. 1953, ch. 3206, § 3; G.L. 1956, § 28-44-11; P.L. 1958 (s.s.), ch. 215, § 1; P.L. 1975, ch. 21, art. 2, § 3; P.L. 1976, ch. 297, § 1; P.L. 1988, ch. 173, § 5; P.L. 1991, ch. 92, § 1; P.L. 1992, ch. 186, § 2.