HB1425: HB1425 Worker Tariff Relief Program Act; enact

Georgia law does not currently have a dedicated state program for workers hurt by federal tariffs or trade disruptions. This bill would add a new chapter to Title 34 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated creating the Worker Tariff Relief Program Act, run by the Department of Labor. The program could offer temporary income support, job placement help, retraining for in-demand jobs, and support services like transportation or child care to workers whose jobs, hours, or wages were cut because of tariffs, retaliatory trade actions, or supply chain shifts. Combined state and federal benefits could not exceed 80 percent of a worker's prior average weekly wage, and assistance would generally last up to 26 weeks, though the department could extend that. Funding depends entirely on money the General Assembly chooses to appropriate, and the department must file an annual report on outcomes while protecting personal information.

• Creates the Worker Tariff Relief Program inside the Department of Labor to help workers who lose jobs, hours, or wages because of tariffs or trade disruptions.
• Allows the program to offer temporary cash assistance, job placement help, retraining for high-demand jobs, and supportive services like child care or transportation.
• Caps combined state and federal wage-replacement benefits at 80 percent of a worker's average weekly wage from the year before the disruption.
• Limits assistance to 26 weeks unless the department extends it by rule, and lets the department prorate payments if demand exceeds available funding.
• Requires the Department of Labor to write implementing rules and submit an annual report to the Governor and General Assembly on who was served and what outcomes resulted.
• Makes clear the program creates no entitlement beyond appropriated funds and does not require employers to provide extra pay or benefits.

Georgia workers who lose jobs, hours, or wages due to federal tariffs or trade disruptions; the Department of Labor, which would design and run the program; employers and labor organizations that may be asked to provide documentation or coordinate; and the General Assembly, which controls funding through appropriations.

Workers affected by tariff-related layoffs or pay cuts could gain access to temporary cash help, job placement, and retraining beyond existing unemployment insurance, but only if lawmakers actually appropriate money, since the bill creates no guaranteed funding or automatic entitlement to benefits.

• Code Section 34-11-2 defines key terms, including 'covered individual,' 'employment disruption,' and 'trade disruption,' tying eligibility to tariffs, retaliatory trade actions, or supply chain shifts.
• Code Section 34-11-3 establishes the program under the Department of Labor and requires it to avoid duplicating benefits already provided by other state or federal assistance programs.
• Code Section 34-11-4 lists allowed assistance types (income support, reemployment help, training, supportive services), caps combined benefits at 80 percent of prior average weekly wage, and sets a 26-week limit on assistance, extendable by department rule.
• Code Section 34-11-5 lets the department verify trade-related job loss through employer attestations or industry data, prioritize hard-hit industries or regions, and prorate benefits if funding falls short of demand.
• Code Section 34-11-6 requires the department to write implementing rules and submit an annual report on individuals served, assistance types, affected industries, and reemployment outcomes, without disclosing personal information.
• Code Section 34-11-7 clarifies the program creates no entitlement beyond appropriated funds, does not change unemployment insurance or federal trade adjustment assistance eligibility, and does not require employers to add compensation.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting Georgia laws.

1. 2026-02-26House Second Readers (House)
2. 2026-02-25House First Readers (House)
3. 2026-02-24House Hopper (House)

• Spencer Frye (D, HD-122)Primary sponsor
• Dewey McClain (D, HD-109)
• Eric Gisler (D, HD-121)
• Edna Jackson (D, HD-165)
• Park Cannon (D, HD-058)
• Gabriel Sanchez (D, HD-042)

• tariffs and trade
• unemployment assistance
• Department of Labor
• workforce training
• state funding