Congress·In Committee·H.R. 1119

New Bill Proposes Mandatory Job Interviews and Drug Testing for Unemployment Benefits

Unemployment Integrity Act of 2025

about 1 year ago·View on Congress.gov

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Stalled

No legislative action in over 90 days.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Key Points

This bill requires people receiving unemployment checks to meet new requirements to keep their benefits. Claimants would have to respond to all contact from the state, schedule and attend job interviews, and participate in services designed to help them find a new job.
Under these rules, states could require people on unemployment to take drug tests or complete skill assessments. If someone fails to follow these rules or skips a requested meeting, they could lose their eligibility for weekly payments.
The plan creates a way for employers to report people who are not following the rules. If a job seeker skips a scheduled interview or refuses a suitable job offer, the employer can voluntarily notify the state government.
The Department of Labor would be required to study if increasing random audits helps the unemployment system run better. If the study finds that more audits reduce errors or fraud, the government will increase the number of random checks performed on benefit claims.
States must adopt these rules to continue receiving federal money for extended unemployment programs. If passed, most of these changes would take effect about one year later, giving states time to update their laws.

Labor EmploymentEconomy Finance

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Who is affectedScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Broader Impacts

DomainScoreShort-termLong-termReversibilityConfidence

Score

Scores: -5 (harmful) to +5 (beneficial)Short-term: 0-2 yearsLong-term: 10-30 years

State Impacts

StateScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Feb 7, 2025House

Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Feb 7, 2025

Introduced in House

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

About 1 year after the bill is signed into law

New interview, drug testing, and compliance requirements take effect for most states

People collecting unemployment in most states would need to respond to all state requests, attend interviews, take drug tests if asked, and complete skill assessments — or risk losing their benefits.

About 2 years after the bill is signed into law

Department of Labor completes study on increasing random audits of unemployment claims

The study's findings could lead to more frequent random checks on benefit claims, potentially catching more fraud but also adding scrutiny on legitimate claimants.

Related News

1 article

The Hill·about 1 year ago

House Republicans Target Unemployment 'No-Shows' with New Work Requirements

The Unemployment Integrity Act of 2025 seeks to amend the Social Security Act to require individuals receiving benefits to fulfill specific job-search requirements. Key provisions include mandatory interview attendance and the ability for states to implement drug testing for claimants.