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"Emergency unemployment benefits" means benefits financed entirely by the State and paid to exhaustees pursuant to this act.

"Emergency unemployment benefit period" means a period not within an extended benefit period which:

a. Begins on June 2, 1996, and

b. Ends upon the conclusion of the second week after the first week for which there is a State "on" indicator as defined in section 5 of P.L.1970, c.324 (C.43:21-24.11) or other federally- financed supplemental benefits program, or

c. If there is no such "on" indicator, ends with the occurrence of either of the following:

(1) The third week after the first week for which there is a State emergency unemployment benefits "off" indicator; or

(2) The calendar week after the calendar week in which total expenditures of emergency unemployment compensation fund Statewide first exceed $350 million.

There is a State emergency unemployment benefits "off" indicator for any week in which it is determined by the division based on data reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics that, for the prior four calendar months, the average total unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted) in this State is less than 6.0 percent.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this subsection c., no emergency unemployment benefits shall be paid after December 1, 1996, except that emergency benefits shall be paid to individuals who established emergency unemployment claims prior to that date. No emergency unemployment benefits shall be paid to any individual after March 1, 1997.

"Eligibility period" of an exhaustee means the period consisting of the weeks in the exhaustee's benefit year which begin in an emergency unemployment benefit period and, if that benefit year ends in the emergency unemployment benefit period, any weeks thereafter which begin in the period.

"Exhaustee" means an individual who exhausted all of the regular benefits that were available to the individual pursuant to the "unemployment compensation law," R.S.43:21-1 et seq., (including benefits payable to federal civilian employees and ex-service persons or payable under the combined wage program), after December 2, 1995 and before June 2, 1996, or during any calendar week of the emergency unemployment benefit period. No individual who exhausted all of the available regular benefits prior to December 3, 1995 shall be eligible for emergency unemployment benefits. An individual whose benefit year has expired prior to the beginning of the emergency unemployment benefit period shall not be eligible for such benefits.

L.1996,c.30,s.1.