Verification of applicant identity

(a) In general Section 303 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 503) is amended by adding at the end the following: (n) (1) The State agency charged with the administration of the State law shall certify that the State has procedures in place to verify the identity of claimants of unemployment compensation, including requiring the claimant to provide documentation of their identity, which shall consist of— (A) at least one currently valid Federal or State government-issued identification document; and (B) one or more supporting documents, which may include utility bills, lease agreements, voter registration cards, vehicle registration, insurance documents, or other reliable documents, so long as such documents are— (i) determined by the State to be sufficient to verify the identity of the claimant; or (ii) approved by the Secretary for such purpose. (2) Not later than 12 months after the date of enactment of this subsection, the Secretary of Labor shall promulgate regulations governing identity verification procedures for claimants of unemployment compensation used by State agencies. Such regulations shall— (A) take into account— (i) administrative costs, including for technology and cybersecurity systems; and (ii) any other factors the Secretary determines appropriate; (B) provide due process protections for claimants; (C) specify methods to ensure that the documentation required under paragraph (1)(A)— (i) is accurate, current, and reliable; and (ii) does not produce systematic mismatches that unfairly deny or delay the payment of unemployment compensation; (D) require safeguards to ensure that the procedures— (i) minimize false positive or negative rates; (ii) do not result in the flagging, denial, or delay of claims based on the personal characteristics of an individual, including race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or political affiliation or belief; and (iii) comply with applicable civil rights laws; (E) require that such procedures comply with best practices for privacy and cybersecurity, as determined by the Secretary of Labor; (F) any other factors the Secretary determines appropriate; and (G) include any other provisions necessary to ensure the proper implementation, oversight, and continuous improvement of data-matching practices under this subsection. (3) In this subsection, the term unemployment compensation has the meaning given the term in subsection (d)(2)(A).. (b) Effective date The amendments made by this Act shall apply, with respect to a State, to initial applications for unemployment compensation received by such State on or after the date that is 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act.