A new law in Arkansas, Act 106, is set to take effect next month and may impact recipients of unemployment benefits. Under the act, individuals claiming unemployment could potentially lose these benefits for a week, should they fail to attend a job interview or respond to a job offer, without any valid reason. Cosponsored by Senators Ben Gilmore and Kendon Underwood, the law was drafted in response to a workforce shortage and reports of individuals scheduling job interviews but failing to attend.

The new law also allows employers to report instances of ’no-shows’ for interviews to the Division of Workforce Services. However, it is important to note that these reports aren’t obligatory. Senator Gilmore stated that the primary goal of this law is to incentivize job seekers to be active in their job hunt, rather than to penalize them.

Additionally, the law stipulates that any disqualification for unemployment benefits will only happen once the director verifies the employer-reported information with the job seeker. The key here is ensuring transparency and fairness, providing an even-handed approach to both job-seekers and employers.