(a) An employer who will engage in a closing or mass layoff shall provide notice to the Secretary of Commerce and Community Development and the Commissioner in accordance with this section to enable the State to present information on potential support for the employer and separated employees.

(b) Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this section, an employer who will engage in a closing or mass layoff shall provide notice to the Secretary of Commerce and Community Development and the Commissioner 45 days prior to the effective date of the closing or layoffs that reach the thresholds defined in section 411 of this subchapter, and shall provide 30 days' notice to the local chief elected official or administrative officer of the municipality, affected employees, and bargaining agent, if any.

(c) The employer shall send to the Commissioner and the Secretary the approximate number and job titles of affected employees, the anticipated date of the employment loss, and the affected worksites within the time allotted for notice to the Commissioner and Secretary under subsection 413(b) or 414(b) of this subchapter. Concurrent with the notification to the affected employees, in accordance with subsection 413(b) of this subchapter, the employer shall send to the Commissioner in writing the actual number of layoffs, job titles, date of layoff, and other information as the Commissioner deems necessary for the purposes of unemployment insurance benefit processing and for accessing federal and State resources to mitigate adverse employment impacts affecting employers, employees, and communities.

(d) In the case of a sale of part or all of an employer's business where mass layoffs will occur, the seller and the purchaser are still required to comply with the notice requirements under subsection (b) of this section.

(e) Nothing in this subchapter shall abridge, abrogate, or restrict the right of the State to require an employer that is receiving State economic development funds or incentives from being required to provide additional or earlier notice as a condition for the receipt of such funds or incentives.

(f) An employer is required to pay all unpaid wage and compensation owed to any laid-off worker, as required under this title.

(g) This section shall not apply to a nursing home in situations where Rules 2.8 and 3.14 of the Vermont Licensing and Operating Rules for Nursing Homes apply or where the CMS Requirements for Long-Term Care Facilities apply, pursuant to 42 C.F.R. §§ 483.12 and 483.75. (Added 2013, No. 125 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. Jan. 15, 2015.)