| Vote Recommendation | Economic Freedom | Property Rights | Personal Responsibility | Limited Government | Individual Liberty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No | Negative | Neutral | Negative | Negative | Neutral |
Relating to the determination of whether work is suitable for an individual for the purpose of determining the individual's unemployment compensation benefit eligibility.
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
HB 2130 would prohibit issuers of unemployment insurance from making a person who refuses work at a workplace that presents an unreasonable risk of exposure to infectious diseases, including Covid-19, as being ineligible for unemployment insurance benefits. Under current law, a person is usually made ineligible for said benefits if they refuse work barring a few select circumstances, this bill would expand those circumstances to cover Covid-19 and other infectious diseases.
Texas Action opposes HB 2130 because it violates the limited government, free market and personal responsibility principles. The point of making a person ineligible for unemployment insurance benefits for refusing work is to get them to go back to work, with lockdowns ending and the vaccine becoming widespread Covid-19 is no longer a viable excuse to avoid employment while still retaining benefits.