For purposes of the bill:
1. "Home care services" is defined as skilled or unskilled care, including
companionship services, homemaker services, nursing services, and personal care
services, provided to a person in his or her temporary or permanent residence for the
purpose of enabling the person to remain safely and comfortably in that residence.
2. "Home care placement agency" is defined as a person that is engaged in
placing home care workers in the temporary or permanent residences of home care

consumers for the purpose of providing home care services to those home care
consumers, including an employment agent.
For further information see the state 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:
AB792, s. 1 1Section 1. 105.115 of the statutes is created to read:
AB792,4,3 2105.115 Notice to home care consumers and workers. (1) Definitions.
3In this section:
AB792,4,64 (a) "Companionship services" means services that provide fellowship and
5protection for a person who, because of advanced age or physical or mental infirmity,
6cannot care for his or her own needs.
AB792,4,87 (b) "Home care consumer" means a person who receives home care services in
8his or her temporary or permanent residence from a home care worker.
AB792,4,149 (c) "Home care placement agency" means a person that is engaged in placing
10home care workers in the temporary or permanent residences of home care
11consumers for the purpose of providing home care services to those home care
12consumers, including an employment agent engaged in the business specified in s.
13105.01 (1) (intro.) or a person specified in s. 105.01 (1) (f) whose fees or charges are
14paid entirely by a home care consumer.
AB792,4,1915 (d) "Home care services" means skilled or unskilled care provided to a person
16in his or her temporary or permanent residence for the purpose of enabling the
17person to remain safely and comfortably in that residence. "Home care services"
18include companionship services, homemaker services, nursing services, and
19personal care services.
AB792,5,3
1(e) "Home care worker" means a person who provides home care services to a
2home care consumer in the temporary or permanent residence of the home care
3consumer.
AB792,5,74 (f) "Homemaker services" means household work, including preparing meals,
5laundering clothes, making beds, cleaning, performing errands and shopping,
6completing other miscellaneous chores, and performing any other activities that
7support the smooth and safe functioning of a home care consumer's residence.
AB792,5,108 (g) "Nursing services" means nursing procedures, other than personal care
9services, that are permitted to be performed by a registered nurse under s. 441.001
10(2) or by a licensed practical nurse under s. 441.001 (3).
AB792,5,1311 (h) "Personal care services" means assistance with the activities of daily living,
12such as eating, dressing, bathing, personal hygiene, and ambulation, but does not
13include nursing services.
AB792,5,22 14(2) Notice to home care consumers. Whenever a home care placement agency
15places a home care worker in the temporary or permanent residence of a home care
16consumer, the home care placement agency shall provide the home care consumer
17with a notice of the rights, duties, responsibilities, and liabilities of the home care
18consumer with respect to the home care worker, except that a home care placement
19agency is not required to provide that notice when placing a home care worker who
20is temporarily substituting for the regular home care worker of a home care
21consumer. The notice shall be on a form prescribed by the department and shall
22include, at a minimum, all of the following:
AB792,6,223 (a) A statement specifying the duties, responsibilities, and liabilities of the
24home care placement agency with respect to the home care consumer and the home
25care worker and the duties, responsibilities, and liabilities of the home care

1consumer with respect to the home care worker. The statement shall clearly specify
2the home care consumer's responsibility, if any, for all of the following:
AB792,6,33 1. Day-to-day supervision of the home care worker.
AB792,6,44 2. Assigning duties to the home care worker.
AB792,6,55 3. Hiring, firing, and discipline of the home care worker.
AB792,6,66 4. Providing equipment or materials for use by the home care worker.
AB792,6,77 5. Performing a background investigation of the home care worker.
AB792,6,118 6. Ensuring that the home care worker has any credential, as defined in s.
9440.01 (2) (a), or any other license, registration, certification, permit, or approval
10that is required for the home care worker to provide adequate home care services for
11the home care consumer.
AB792,6,1812 (b) A statement of the employment status of the home care worker, specifically,
13whether the home care worker is an employee of the home care placement agency or
14of the home care consumer or is an independent contractor and a statement
15identifying which party is responsible for paying the wages or salary of the home care
16worker, paying federal social security taxes and state and federal unemployment
17contributions or taxes with respect to the home care worker, and procuring worker's
18compensation or liability insurance covering injury to the home care worker.
AB792,7,219 (c) A statement that, notwithstanding the employment status of the home care
20worker specified in the notice, the home care consumer may be determined to be the
21employer of the home care worker for purposes of certain state and federal labor laws
22and that, if that is the case, the home care consumer may be held responsible for
23paying the wages or salary of the home care worker, paying federal social security
24taxes and state and federal unemployment contributions or taxes with respect to the
25home care worker, procuring worker's compensation or liability insurance covering

1injury to the home care worker, and complying with various other state and federal
2labor laws.
AB792,7,53 (d) A list of the forms that the home care consumer may be required to complete
4and file if the home care consumer is determined to be the employer of the home care
5worker.
AB792,7,96 (e) A statement of the penalties that may be assessed against the home care
7consumer if he or she is determined to be the employer of the home care worker and
8does not fulfill his or her duties and responsibilities as the employer of the home care
9worker.
AB792,7,1110 (f) A telephone number and address at which the home care consumer may
11contact the department if he or she has any questions about the contents of the notice.
AB792,7,1612 (g) A statement acknowledging that the home care consumer has received and
13understands the notice provided under this subsection and a line for the home care
14consumer's signature located immediately below that statement. The home care
15placement agency shall give the home care consumer one copy of the notice signed
16by the home care consumer and shall retain one copy in its files.
AB792,7,23 17(3) Notice to home care workers. Whenever a home care placement agency
18places a home care worker in the temporary or permanent residence of a home care
19consumer, the home care placement agency shall provide the home care worker with
20a notice stating the employment status of the home care worker, specifically, whether
21the home care worker is an employee of the home care placement agency or of the
22home care consumer or is an independent contractor. The notice shall be on a form
23prescribed by the department and shall include, at a minimum, all of the following:
AB792,8,624 (a) A statement that, notwithstanding the employment status of the home care
25worker specified in the notice, the home care worker may be determined to be an

1independent contractor for purposes of certain state and federal labor laws and, if
2that is the case, a description of the duties, responsibilities, and liabilities of the
3home care placement agency and the home care consumer with respect to the home
4care worker and the duties, responsibilities, and liabilities of the home care worker
5as a result of that independent contractor status. That description shall include, at
6a minimum, all of the following information:
AB792,8,117 1. A statement identifying which party is responsible for paying the wages or
8salary of the home care worker, paying federal social security taxes and state and
9federal unemployment contributions or taxes with respect to the home care worker,
10and procuring worker's compensation or liability insurance covering injury to the
11home care worker.
AB792,8,1512 2. A statement identifying which party is responsible for the day-to-day
13supervision of the home care worker, assigning duties to the home care worker,
14hiring, firing, and discipline of the home care worker, and providing equipment or
15materials for use by the home care worker.
AB792,8,1716 (b) A telephone number and address at which the home care worker may
17contact the department if he or she has any questions about the contents of the notice.
AB792,8,2218 (c) A statement acknowledging that the home care worker has received and
19understands the notice provided under this subsection and a line for the home care
20worker's signature located immediately below that statement. The home care
21placement agency shall give the home care worker one copy of the notice signed by
22the home care worker and shall retain one copy in its files.
AB792,9,8 23(4) Investigations, remedies, and penalties. (a) A home care consumer who
24is not provided with the notice required under sub. (2) or a home care worker who is
25not provided with the notice required under sub. (3) may either file a complaint with

1the department or commence an action in circuit court to recover from the home care
2placement agency the payment under par. (b) or (c) no later than 3 years after the
3date on which the home care placement agency was required to provide the notice.
4If the department receives a complaint that is timely filed, the department shall
5investigate the complaint and attempt, on behalf of the home care consumer or home
6care worker, to recover the payment under par. (b) or (c). In investigating a complaint
7filed under this paragraph, the department shall have the right of entry and audit
8under ss. 105.08 and 105.09 as to the home care placement agency.
AB792,9,189 (b) 1. If the department finds that a home care placement agency has failed to
10provide a home care consumer with the notice required under sub. (2) and that the
11home care consumer is liable for the payment of federal social security taxes or state
12or federal unemployment contributions or taxes with respect to the home care
13worker, for the provision of worker's compensation or liability insurance covering
14injury to the home care worker, for the payment of any fine or penalty imposed on
15the home care consumer for noncompliance with any state or federal labor law with
16respect to the home care worker, or for any injury to the home care worker, the
17department may recover from the home care placement agency, on behalf of the home
18care consumer, an amount equal to the total cost of those liabilities.
AB792,9,2519 2. If the home care placement agency does not pay the amount specified in subd.
201. within 30 days after demand by the department, the department may commence
21a civil action on behalf of the home care consumer to collect that amount, and the
22circuit court may order the home care placement agency to pay to the home care
23consumer that amount, plus an additional amount equal to 50 percent of that
24amount, together with costs under ch. 814 and, notwithstanding s. 814.04 (1),
25reasonable attorney fees.
AB792,10,12
13. In the case of a home care consumer who commences an action in circuit court
2under par. (a), if the circuit court finds that the home care placement agency has
3failed to provide the home care consumer with the notice required under sub. (2) and
4that the home care consumer is liable for the payment of federal social security taxes
5or state or federal unemployment contributions or taxes with respect to the home
6care worker, for the provision of worker's compensation or liability insurance
7covering injury to the home care worker, for the payment of any fine or penalty
8imposed on the home care consumer for noncompliance with any state or federal
9labor law with respect to the home care worker, or for any injury to the home care
10worker, the court may order the home care placement agency to pay to the home care
11consumer an amount equal to the total cost of those liabilities, together with costs
12under ch. 814 and, notwithstanding s. 814.04 (1), reasonable attorney fees.
AB792,10,2013 (c) 1. If the department finds that a home care placement agency has failed to
14provide a home care worker with the notice required under sub. (3), that the home
15care worker is an independent contractor, and that the home care worker is liable for
16the payment of federal self-employment social security taxes or has sustained an
17injury as a result of performing home care services, the department may recover from
18the home care placement agency, on behalf of the home care worker, an amount equal
19to the total cost of that liability or the total amount of damages sustained as a result
20of that injury.
AB792,11,221 2. If the home care placement agency does not pay the amount specified in subd.
221. within 30 days after demand by the department, the department may commence
23a civil action on behalf of the home care worker to collect that amount, and the circuit
24court may order the home care placement agency to pay to the home care worker that

1amount, plus an additional amount equal to 50 percent of that amount, together with
2costs under ch. 814 and, notwithstanding s. 814.04 (1), reasonable attorney fees.
AB792,11,123 3. In the case of a home care worker who commences an action in circuit court
4under par. (a), if the circuit court finds that the home care placement agency has
5failed to provide the home care worker with the notice required under sub. (3), that
6the home care worker is an independent contractor, and that the home care worker
7is liable for the payment of federal self-employment social security taxes or has
8sustained an injury as a result of performing home care services, the court may order
9the home care placement agency to pay to the home care worker an amount equal to
10the total cost of that liability or the total amount of damages sustained as a result
11of that injury, together with costs under ch. 814 and, notwithstanding s. 814.04 (1),
12reasonable attorney fees.
AB792,11,13 13(5) Rules. The department shall promulgate rules to implement this section.
AB792, s. 2 14Section 2. 105.15 of the statutes is amended to read:
AB792,11,21 15105.15 General powers of department applicable; penalties. Such
16investigations, classifications, and orders shall be made as provided in s. 103.005 and
17the penalties specified in s. 103.005 (12) shall apply to and be imposed for any
18violation of ss. 105.01 to 105.11 105.115 or 105.13 to 105.15. The department may
19also order a person who operates an employment agency in violation of s. 105.05 (1)
20to make refunds as provided under s. 105.16 (2). Orders issued under this section
21are subject to review in the manner provided in ch. 227.
AB792, s. 3 22Section 3. 893.99 of the statutes is created to read:
AB792,11,24 23893.99 Home care consumer notification. An action arising under s.
24105.115 (4) (a) is subject to the limitations under s. 105.115 (4) (a).
AB792, s. 4 25Section 4. Nonstatutory provisions.
AB792,12,9
1(1) Home care consumer and worker notice; rules; economic impact report
2exception.
The department of workforce development shall submit in proposed form
3the rules required under section 105.115 (5) of the statutes, as created by this act,
4to the legislative council staff under section 227.15 of the statutes no later than the
5first day of the 6th month beginning after the effective date of this subsection.
6Notwithstanding section 227.137 (2) of the statutes, the secretary of administration
7may not require the department of workforce development to prepare an economic
8impact report for the rules required under section 105.115 (5) of the statutes, as
9created by this act.
AB792, s. 5 10Section 5. Initial applicability.
AB792,12,1511 (1) Home care consumer and worker notice. This act first applies to a home
12care worker, as defined in section 105.115 (1) (e) of the statutes, as created by this
13act, who is placed in the residence of a home care consumer, as defined in section
14105.115 (1) (b) of the statutes, as created by this act, on the effective date of this
15subsection.
AB792, s. 6 16Section 6. Effective date.
AB792,12,1817 (1) Home care consumer and worker notice. This act takes effect on the first
18day of the 12th month beginning after publication.
AB792,12,1919 (End)
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