AB528: Bill Text

LRB-1905/1

GMM/JK/PG:jd:rs

2005 - 2006 LEGISLATURE

2005 Assembly BILL 528

June 28, 2005 - Introduced by Representative Schneider. Referred to Committee on Labor.

AB528,2,2 An Act to amend 20.928 (1), 71.05 (6) (a) 15., 71.21 (4), 71.26 (2) (a), 71.34 (1) (g), 71.45 (2) (a) 10. and 77.92 (4); and to create 20.445 (1) (sq), 20.865 (1) (sq), 25.17 (1) (az), 25.99, 71.07 (3w), 71.10 (4) (cp), 71.28 (3w), 71.30 (3) (dm), 71.47 (3w), 71.49 (1) (dm), 77.52 (2) (a) 21., 77.67, 111.365 and 121.91 (4) (L) of the statutes; relating to: prohibiting discrimination between an employee employed in a job that is dominated by employees of a particular sex and an employee employed in a job that is dominated by employees of the opposite sex in compensation paid for work that is of comparable worth; providing tax credits, grants, and appropriation supplements to employers that pay a wage differential to end discrimination in compensation paid for work that is of comparable worth; increasing the revenue limit of a school district that pays a wage differential to end discrimination in compensation paid for work that is of comparable worth; imposing a sales and use tax on legal services; granting rule-making authority; and making appropriations.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Introduction

This bill prohibits discrimination between an employee employed in a job that is dominated by employees of a particular sex and an employee employed in a job that is dominated by employees of the opposite sex in compensation paid for work that is of comparable worth; provides tax credits, grants, and appropriation supplements to employers that pay a wage differential to end discrimination in compensation paid for work that is of comparable worth; increases the revenue limit of a school district that pays a wage differential to end discrimination in compensation paid for work that is of comparable worth; and imposes a sales and use tax on legal services to fund the grants and appropriation supplements provided under the bill.

Equal pay for work of comparable worth

Under current law, no employer may discriminate against any individual on the basis of sex where sex is not a bona fide occupational qualification. Currently, employment discrimination because of sex includes discriminating against any individual in compensation paid for equal or substantially similar work on the basis of sex.

This bill specifies that, beginning on January 1, 2016, employment discrimination because of sex also includes discriminating between an employee employed in a job that is dominated by employees of a particular sex and an employee employed in a job that is dominated by employees of the opposite sex in compensation paid for work that is of comparable worth, as measured by the composite of the skill, effort, and responsibility normally required in the performance of the work and the conditions under which the work is normally performed. The bill also prohibits an employer from achieving compliance with the bill by reducing the compensation of any employee or reducing the rate of compensation for any position and prohibits a labor organization from causing an employer to discriminate against an employee in violation of the bill. The bill, however, does not prohibit the payment of different compensation to employees when that compensation is calculated under a bona fide seniority system, a merit system, or a system that measures earnings by quality or quantity of production.

Tax benefits, grants, and appropriation supplements

The bill allows an employer subject to state income taxation that achieves compliance with the bill before January 1, 2016, to apply for tax credits, a local governmental unit that achieves compliance with the bill before January 1, 2016, to apply for a grant, and a state agency that achieves compliance with the bill before January 1, 2016, to apply for an appropriation supplement in the amount of the difference between the amount of wages paid to achieve that compliance and the amount of the wages that the employer, local governmental unit, or state agency would have paid, but for achieving that compliance (wage differential). To obtain a tax credit, grant, or appropriation supplement, an employer, local governmental unit, or state agency must submit an application and a plan for achieving compliance to the Department of Workforce Development (DWD) that includes all of the following:

1. Information relating to the job classifications in which the applicant's employees are placed and the wage rates paid for those job classifications and documentation of the method, system, calculations, or other bases used to determine the wage rates for the applicant's job classifications.

2. An evaluation of the comparable worth of the applicant's job classifications, as measured by the skill, effort, and responsibility normally required in the performance of the work and the conditions under which the work is normally performed.

3. The amount of the wage differential that the applicant is paying or proposes to pay to achieve compliance with the bill.

4. Any other information required by DWD or the Department of Revenue.

Under the bill, no employer may receive a tax credit for any taxable year that begins on or after January 1, 2016, no local governmental unit provided a grant under the bill may use those grant moneys to pay a wage differential for any work performed after December 31, 2015, and no state agency may use an appropriation supplement provided under the bill to pay a wage differential for any work performed after December 31, 2015.

Sales and use tax on legal services

To fund the grants to local governmental units and the appropriation supplements to state agencies, the bill imposes a sales and use tax on legal services, places those tax moneys in a separate trust fund established under the bill that is designated as the comparable worth fund, and appropriates those moneys for grants to local governmental units, appropriation supplements for state agencies, and administration of the program of tax benefits, grants, and appropriation supplements created under the bill.

School district revenue limit increase

Current law generally limits the total amount of revenue that a school district may receive from general school aids, including equalization aid, and property taxes. Several exceptions to the revenue limit exist. For example, the revenue limit is increased if a school district becomes responsible for performing additional services that are transferred from another school district.

This bill provides that, if DWD approves a school district's plan for achieving compliance with the bill, the school district's revenue limit is increased by an amount that is equal to the wage differential paid by the school district. The revenue limit increase does not apply after the 2015-16 school year.

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:

AB528, s. 1 Section 1. 20.005 (3) (schedule) of the statutes: at the appropriate place, insert the following amounts for the purposes indicated: - See PDF for table

AB528, s. 2 Section 2. 20.445 (1) (sq) of the statutes is created to read:

AB528,4,8 20.445 (1) (sq) Comparable worth; grants; administration. From the comparable worth fund, all moneys not appropriated under s. 20.865 (1) (sq) for grants to local governmental units under s. 111.365 (4) (b) and for the cost of administering the program of tax credits, grants, and appropriation supplements under s. 111.365 (3) to (5).

AB528, s. 3 Section 3. 20.865 (1) (sq) of the statutes is created to read:

AB528,4,13 20.865 (1) (sq) Comparable worth; wage differentials. From the comparable worth fund, the amounts in the schedule to supplement the appropriations to state agencies certified under s. 111.365 (5) (b) for the cost of paying wage differentials, as defined in s. 111.365 (1) (c), to achieve compliance with s. 111.365 (2) (a).

AB528, s. 4 Section 4. 20.928 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB528,5,7 20.928 (1) Each state agency head shall certify to the department of administration, at such time and in such manner as the secretary of administration prescribes, the sum of money needed by the state agency from the appropriations under s. 20.865 (1) (c), (ci), (cj), (d), (i), (ic), (j), (s), (si) , (sq), and (t). Upon receipt of the certifications together with such additional information as the secretary of administration prescribes, the secretary shall determine the amounts required from the respective appropriations to supplement state agency budgets.

AB528, s. 5 Section 5. 25.17 (1) (az) of the statutes is created to read:

AB528,5,9 25.17 (1) (az) Comparable worth fund (s. 25.99);

AB528, s. 6 Section 6. 25.99 of the statutes is created to read:

AB528,5,13 25.99 Comparable worth fund. There is established a separate nonlapsible trust fund designated as the comparable worth fund, to consist of all sales and use taxes on legal fees collected under s. 77.52 (2) (a) 21.

AB528, s. 7 Section 7. 71.05 (6) (a) 15. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB528,5,19 71.05 (6) (a) 15. The amount of the credits computed under s. 71.07 (2dd), (2de), (2di), (2dj), (2dL), (2dm), (2dr), (2ds), (2dx), (3g), (3n), (3s), (3t), (3w), (5b), and (5d) and not passed through by a partnership, limited liability company, or tax-option corporation that has added that amount to the partnership's, company's, or tax-option corporation's income under s. 71.21 (4) or 71.34 (1) (g).

AB528, s. 8 Section 8. 71.07 (3w) of the statutes is created to read:

AB528,5,23 71.07 (3w) Comparable worth credit. (a) Definition. In this subsection, "claimant" means a person who files a claim under this subsection and who is certified to receive tax benefits under s. 111.365 (3).

AB528,6,4 (b) Filing claims. For taxable years beginning after December 31, 2005, and before January 1, 2016, subject to the limitations provided under this subsection and s. 111.365 (3), a claimant may claim as a credit against the tax imposed under s. 71.02 or 71.08, up to the amount of the tax, an amount equal to the amount of the wage differential the claimant paid to the claimant's employees to achieve compliance with s. 111.365 (2) (a).

AB528,6,12 (c) Limitations. Partnerships, limited liability companies, and tax-option corporations may not claim the credit under this subsection, but the eligibility for, and the amount of, the credit are based on their payment of amounts described under par. (b). A partnership, limited liability company, or tax-option corporation shall compute the amount of credit that each of its partners, members, or shareholders may claim and shall provide that information to each of them. Partners, members of limited liability companies, and shareholders of tax-option corporations may claim the credit in proportion to their ownership interests.

AB528,6,14 (d) Administration. Section 71.28 (4) (e) to (h), as it applies to the credit under s. 71.28 (4), applies to the credit under this subsection.

AB528, s. 9 Section 9. 71.10 (4) (cp) of the statutes is created to read:

AB528,6,16 71.10 (4) (cp) Comparable worth credit under s. 71.07 (3w).

AB528, s. 10 Section 10. 71.21 (4) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB528,6,20 71.21 (4) Credits computed by a partnership under s. 71.07 (2dd), (2de), (2di), (2dj), (2dL), (2dm), (2ds), (2dx), (3g), (3n), (3s), (3t), (3w), and (5b) and passed through to partners shall be added to the partnership's income.