SB247: Bill Text

LRB-1237/1

GMM:cmh&jlg:hmh

1999 - 2000 LEGISLATURE

1999 Senate BILL 247

October 5, 1999 - Introduced by Senators Grobschmidt, Erpenbach and Risser, cosponsored by Representatives Black, Sinicki, Boyle, J. Lehman, Plouff, Seratti, Hasenohrl, Bock, Turner, Coggs, Miller, Berceau, La Fave, Musser and Cullen. Referred to Committee on Education.

SB247,1,9 An Act to repeal 103.10 (1) (a) 1. and 2.; to renumber and amend 103.10 (1) (a) (intro.) and 103.10 (5) (b); to amend 103.10 (title), 103.10 (1) (c), 103.10 (2) (a), 103.10 (2) (c), 103.10 (5) (a), 103.10 (8) (a) (intro.), 103.10 (8) (a) 1., 103.10 (8) (a) 2., 103.10 (8) (b), 103.10 (8) (c), 103.10 (9) (a), 103.10 (9) (b), 103.10 (9) (c) 4., 103.10 (9) (d), 103.10 (10), 103.10 (12) (d), 103.10 (14) (b), 108.04 (1) (b) 3. (intro.), 111.91 (2) (f), 230.35 (2m), 230.45 (1) (k) and 253.10 (3) (d) 1.; to repeal and recreate 893.96 (title); and to create 103.10 (1) (fr), 103.10 (4m), 103.10 (5) (b) 2. and 103.10 (6) (c) of the statutes; relating to: leave for school conferences and activities.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Under current law, an employe of an employer employing at least 50 individuals on a permanent basis in this state may take no more than six weeks of family leave in a 12-month period and no more than two weeks of medical leave in a 12-month period if that employe has been employed by the employer for more than 52 consecutive weeks and has worked for the employer for at least 1,000 hours during the preceding 52-week period. Family leave may be taken for the birth or adoptive placement of a new child or to care for a child, spouse or parent who has a serious health condition. Medical leave may be taken when the employe has a serious health condition which makes the employe unable to perform the employe's employment duties. An employe is not entitled to receive wages or salary while taking family leave or medical leave, but may substitute, for portions of family or medical leave, other types of paid or unpaid leave provided by the employer. An employe who intends to take family or medical leave for the birth or adoptive placement of a child or for planned medical treatment must give the employer advance notice of the birth or adoptive placement or planned medical treatment. In addition, for planned medical treatment, the employe must make a reasonable effort to schedule the medical treatment so that it does not unduly disrupt the operations of the employer.

This bill allows any employe of an employer employing at least one individual in this state to take no more than 16 hours of school conference and activities leave in a 12-month period. School conference and activities leave may be taken to attend school conferences or classroom activities relating to the employe's child that cannot be scheduled during nonworking hours. In addition, school conference and activities leave may be taken to observe and monitor the day care, preschool or prekindergarten services or programming received by an employe's child, if that observation and monitoring cannot be scheduled during nonworking hours. An employe is not entitled to receive wages or salary while taking school activities leave, but may substitute, for portions of school conference and activities leave, other types of paid or unpaid leave provided by the employer, except that an employe may not substitute paid leave for school conference and activities leave for attending a school conference or activity for less than one hour. An employe who intends to take leave to attend a school conference or activity must give the employer advance notice of the leave and must make a reasonable effort to schedule the leave so that it does not unduly disrupt the operations of the employer. For purposes of this bill, "child" includes a person 18 years of age or over who is a natural, adopted, foster or treatment foster child, a stepchild or a legal ward of an employe or who is a person for whom the employe stands in the place of a parent, and "school" means a day care center licensed by the department of health and family services, a day care provider certified for funding by a county department of human services or social services, a day care program established or contracted for by a school board, a public, parochial or private preschool or prekindergarten or a public, parochial or private school that provides an educational program for one or more grades between kindergarten and 12.

For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

SB247, s. 1 Section 1. 103.10 (title) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB247,3,2 103.10 (title) Family or , medical and school conference and activities leave.

SB247, s. 2 Section 2. 103.10 (1) (a) (intro.) of the statutes is renumbered 103.10 (1) (a) and amended to read:

SB247,3,10 103.10 (1) (a) "Child" means a natural, adopted, foster or treatment foster child, a stepchild or a legal ward to whom any of the following applies: of an employe, or a person for whom an employe stands in the place of a parent, and includes a person 18 years of age or over who is a natural, adopted, foster or treatment foster child, a stepchild or a legal ward of an employe or who is a person for whom an employe stands in the place of a parent.

SB247, s. 3 Section 3. 103.10 (1) (a) 1. and 2. of the statutes are repealed.

SB247, s. 4 Section 4. 103.10 (1) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB247,3,18 103.10 (1) (c) Except as provided in sub. subs. (4m) and (14) (b), "employer" means a person engaging in any activity, enterprise or business in this state employing at least 50 individuals on a permanent basis. "Employer" includes the state and any office, department, independent agency, authority, institution, association, society or other body in state government created or authorized to be created by the constitution or any law, including the legislature and the courts.

SB247, s. 5 Section 5. 103.10 (1) (fr) of the statutes is created to read:

SB247,3,24 103.10 (1) (fr) "School" means a child care provider, as defined in s. 49.001 (1), a public, parochial or private preschool or prekindergarten or a public, parochial or private school that provides an educational program for one or more grades between kindergarten and 12 and that is commonly known as a kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, junior high school, senior high school or high school.

SB247, s. 6 Section 6. 103.10 (2) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB247,4,4 103.10 (2) (a) Nothing in this section prohibits an employer from providing employes with rights to family leave or, medical leave which or school conference and activities leave that are more generous to the employe than the rights provided under this section.

SB247, s. 7 Section 7. 103.10 (2) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB247,4,10 103.10 (2) (c) This section only applies to an employe who has been employed by the same employer for more than 52 consecutive weeks and who worked for the employer for at least 1,000 hours during the preceding 52-week period , except that for purposes of school conference and activities leave under sub. (4m), this section applies to any employe of an employer.

SB247, s. 8 Section 8. 103.10 (4m) of the statutes is created to read:

SB247,4,21 103.10 (4m) School conference and activities leave. Subject to sub. (6) (c), an employe of an employer employing at least one individual in this state may take no more than 16 hours of school conference and activities leave in a 12-month period for the purpose of attending school conferences or classroom activities relating to the employe's child that cannot be scheduled during nonworking hours. An employe may also use the school conference and activities leave provided under this subsection to observe and monitor the services or programming provided to the employe's child by a child care provider, as defined in s. 49.001 (1), or a public, private or parochial preschool or prekindergarten, if that observation and monitoring cannot be scheduled during nonworking hours.

SB247, s. 9 Section 9. 103.10 (5) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB247,4,24 103.10 (5) (a) This section does not entitle an employe to receive wages or salary while taking family leave or, medical leave or school conference and activities leave.

SB247, s. 10 Section 10. 103.10 (5) (b) of the statutes is renumbered 103.10 (5) (b) 1. and amended to read:

SB247,5,5 103.10 (5) (b) 1. An Subject to subd. 2., an employe may substitute, for portions of family leave or, medical leave or school conference and activities leave, paid or unpaid leave of any other type provided by the employer.

SB247, s. 11 Section 11. 103.10 (5) (b) 2. of the statutes is created to read:

SB247,5,9 103.10 (5) (b) 2. Notwithstanding subd. 1., an employe may not substitute paid leave for school conference and activities leave for attending a school conference or activity for less than one hour.

SB247, s. 12 Section 12. 103.10 (6) (c) of the statutes is created to read:

SB247,5,12 103.10 (6) (c) If an employe intends to take leave for the purpose of attending a school conference or activity, the employe shall do all of the following:

SB247,5,14 1. Make a reasonable effort to schedule the leave so that it does not unduly disrupt the employer's operations.

SB247,5,16 2. Give the employer advance notice of the leave in a reasonable and practicable manner.

SB247, s. 13 Section 13. 103.10 (8) (a) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB247,5,20 103.10 (8) (a) (intro.) Subject to par. (c), when an employe returns from family leave or, medical leave or school conference and activities leave, his or her employer shall immediately place the employe in an employment position as follows:

SB247, s. 14 Section 14. 103.10 (8) (a) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:

SB247,5,24 103.10 (8) (a) 1. If the employment position which the employe held immediately before the family leave or, medical leave or school conference and activities leave began is vacant when the employe returns, in that position.

SB247, s. 15 Section 15. 103.10 (8) (a) 2. of the statutes is amended to read:

SB247,6,5 103.10 (8) (a) 2. If the employment position which the employe held immediately before the family leave or, medical leave or school conference and activities leave began is not vacant when the employe returns, in an equivalent employment position having equivalent compensation, benefits, working shift, hours of employment and other terms and conditions of employment.

SB247, s. 16 Section 16. 103.10 (8) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB247,6,10 103.10 (8) (b) No employer may, because an employe received family leave or, medical leave or school conference and activities leave, reduce or deny an employment benefit which accrued to the employe before his or her leave began or, consistent with sub. (9), accrued after his or her leave began.

SB247, s. 17 Section 17. 103.10 (8) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB247,6,16 103.10 (8) (c) Notwithstanding par. (a), if an employe on a family, medical or family school conference and activities leave wishes to return to work before the end of the leave as scheduled, the employer shall place the employe in an employment position of the type described in par. (a) 1. or 2. within a reasonable time not exceeding the duration of the leave as scheduled.

SB247, s. 18 Section 18. 103.10 (9) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB247,6,23 103.10 (9) (a) Except as provided in par. (b), nothing in this section entitles a returning employe to a right, employment benefit or employment position to which the employe would not have been entitled had he or she not taken family leave or, medical leave or school conference and activities leave or to the accrual of any seniority or employment benefit during a period of family leave or, medical leave or school conference and activities leave.