AB286,28 16Section 28. 103.105 of the statutes is created to read:
AB286,9,18 17103.105 Family and medical leave insurance program. (1) Definitions.
18In this section:
AB286,9,2119 (a) “Application year" means the 12-month period beginning on the first day
20of the first calendar week for which family or medical leave insurance benefits are
21claimed by a covered individual.
AB286,9,2322 (b) “Average weekly earnings" means the average weekly earnings of a covered
23individual as calculated under s. 102.11 (1) (a) to (e).
AB286,9,2424 (c) “Child" means a natural, adopted, or foster child, a stepchild, or a legal ward.
AB286,10,5
1(d) “Covered individual" means an individual who worked for an employer for
2at least 680 hours in the calendar year prior to the individual's application year or
3a self-employed individual who elects coverage under sub. (2) (b), regardless of
4whether the individual is employed or unemployed at the time the individual files
5an application for family or medical leave insurance benefits.
AB286,10,66 (e) “Domestic partner" has the meaning given in s. 40.02 (21c) or 770.01 (1).
AB286,10,97 (f) “Employee" means an individual employed in this state by an employer,
8except the employer's child, spouse, domestic partner, parent, grandparent,
9grandchild, or sibling.
AB286,10,1410 (g) “Employer" means a person engaging in any activity, enterprise, or business
11in this state. “Employer" includes the state and any office, department, independent
12agency, authority, institution, association, society, or other body in state government
13created or authorized to be created by the constitution or any law, including the
14legislature and the courts.
AB286,10,1615 (h) “Family leave" means leave from employment, self-employment, or
16availability for employment for a reason specified in s. 103.10 (3) (b) 1., 2., 3., or 4.
AB286,10,1917 (i) “Family or medical leave insurance benefits" means family or medical leave
18insurance benefits payable under this section from the family and medical leave
19insurance trust fund.
AB286,10,2020 (j) “Grandchild" means the child of a child.
AB286,10,2121 (k) “Grandparent" means the parent of a parent.
AB286,11,322 (L) “Medical leave" means leave from employment when a covered individual
23has a serious health condition that makes the individual unable to perform his or her
24employment duties, leave from self-employment when a covered individual has a
25serious health condition that makes the individual unable to perform the duties of

1his or her self-employment, or leave from availability for employment when a
2covered individual has a serious health condition that makes the individual unable
3to perform the duties of any suitable employment.
AB286,11,64 (m) “Parent" means a natural parent, foster parent, adoptive parent,
5stepparent, or legal guardian of an employee or of an employee's spouse or domestic
6partner.
AB286,11,77 (n) “Serious health condition" has the meaning given in s. 103.10 (1) (g).
AB286,11,98 (o) “Sibling" means a brother, sister, half brother, half sister, stepbrother, or
9stepsister, whether by blood, marriage, or adoption.
AB286,11,1010 (p) “Spouse" means an employee's legal husband or wife.
AB286,11,1311 (q) “State annual median wage" means the median hourly wage for all
12occupations in this state, as determined by the bureau of labor statistics of the U.S.
13department of labor, multiplied by 2,080.
AB286,11,1514 (r) “Waiting period" means the period under sub. (4) (b) 1. for which no family
15or medical leave insurance benefits are payable.
AB286,11,22 16(2) Eligibility for benefits. (a) A covered individual who is on family or
17medical leave is eligible to receive family or medical leave insurance benefits in the
18amount specified in sub. (3) and for the duration specified in sub. (4). No family or
19medical leave insurance benefits are payable for any period of family or medical leave
20for which a covered individual is substituting paid leave of any other type provided
21by his or her employer or for which a covered individual is receiving unemployment
22insurance benefits under ch. 108 or worker's compensation benefits under ch. 102.
AB286,12,1123 (b) Any sole proprietor, partner of a partnership, member of a limited liability
24company, or other self-employed individual engaged in a vocation, profession, or
25business in this state on a substantially full-time basis may elect to be covered under

1this section by filing a written notice of election with the department in a form and
2manner prescribed by the department by rule. An initial election under this
3paragraph becomes effective on the date on which the notice of election is filed, shall
4be for a period of not less than 3 years, and may be renewed for subsequent one-year
5periods by the filing of a written notice with the department that the self-employed
6individual intends to continue his or her coverage under this section. A
7self-employed individual who elects coverage under this section may withdraw that
8election no earlier than 3 years after the date of the initial election or at such other
9times as the department may prescribe by rule by providing notice of that
10withdrawal to the department not less than 30 days before the expiration date of the
11election.
AB286,12,2212 (c) To receive family or medical leave insurance benefits, a covered individual
13shall file a claim for those benefits within such time and in such manner as the
14department may prescribe by rule. On receipt of a claim for family or medical leave
15insurance benefits, the department may request from the claimant's employer such
16information as may be necessary for the department to determine the claimant's
17eligibility for those benefits and the amount and duration of those benefits, and the
18employer shall provide that information to the department within such time and in
19such manner as the department may prescribe by rule. If the department determines
20that a claimant is eligible to receive family or medical leave insurance benefits, the
21department shall provide those benefits to the claimant as provided in subs. (3) to
22(5).
AB286,12,25 23(3) Amount of benefits. (a) Subject to par. (b), the amount of family or medical
24leave insurance benefits for a week of leave for which those benefits are payable is
25as follows:
AB286,13,3
11. For a covered individual who earned less than 30 percent of the state annual
2median wage in the calendar year before the individual's application year, 95 percent
3of that individual's average weekly earnings.
AB286,13,64 2. For a covered individual who earned at least 30 percent, but less than 50
5percent, of the state annual median wage in the calendar year before the individual's
6application year, 90 percent of that individual's average weekly earnings.
AB286,13,97 3. For a covered individual who earned at least 50 percent, but less than 80
8percent, of the state annual median wage in the calendar year before the individual's
9application year, 85 percent of that individual's average weekly earnings.
AB286,13,1210 4. For a covered individual who earned at least 80 percent of the state annual
11median wage in the calendar year before the individual's application year, 66 percent
12of that individual's average weekly earnings.
AB286,13,1713 (b) The amount of family or medical leave insurance benefits for a fractional
14week of leave for which those benefits are payable is one-seventh of the covered
15individual's weekly benefit amount under par. (a) multiplied by the number of days
16of leave taken that week. Family or medical leave insurance benefits are not payable
17for a period of leave of less than one day in duration.
AB286,14,4 18(4) Duration of benefits. (a) The maximum number of weeks for which family
19or medical leave insurance benefits are payable in an application year is 12 weeks.
20A covered individual may take family or medical leave continuously or, at the option
21of the covered individual, intermittently or on a reduced leave schedule, except that
22a covered individual may not take family or medical leave intermittently or on a
23reduced leave schedule for more than 24 consecutive weeks unless the leave is for a
24reason specified in sub. (1) (L) or s. 103.10 (3) (b) 3. and the covered individual shows
25that the leave is medically necessary. If a covered individual who is employed intends

1to take family or medical leave intermittently or on a reduced leave schedule, the
2covered individual shall make a reasonable effort to schedule that leave so as not to
3unduly disrupt the operations of his or her employer and shall provide the employer
4with prior notice of that leave in a reasonable and practicable manner.
AB286,14,125 (b) 1. Except as provided in subd. 2., no family or medical leave insurance
6benefits are payable for the first 5 calendar days in an application year for which a
7covered individual is eligible for those benefits. Except as provided in subd. 2., family
8or medical leave insurance benefits are payable beginning on the 6th calendar day
9in an application year for which a covered individual is eligible for those benefits.
10The first payment of family or medical leave insurance benefits shall be made no
11later than 2 weeks after a covered individual files a claim for those benefits and
12subsequent payments shall be made no less often than semimonthly.
AB286,14,1713 2. If a covered individual uses 10 or more days of family or medical leave
14insurance benefits in an application year, those benefits shall also be payable with
15respect to the covered individual's waiting period. An employer may not require a
16covered individual to use paid or unpaid leave of any other type provided by the
17employer during the covered individual's waiting period.
AB286,14,22 18(5) Coordination of benefits. (a) If family or medical leave for which benefits
19are payable under this section also qualifies as family or medical leave under s.
20103.10 (3) (b) or (4) (a) or 29 USC 2612 (a) (1), the family or medical leave for which
21those benefits are payable shall run concurrently with the family or medical leave
22under s. 103.10 (3) (b) or (4) (a) or 29 USC 2612 (a) (1).
AB286,15,223 (b) No collective bargaining agreement or employer policy may diminish or
24abridge an employee's rights under this section. Any agreement purporting to waive

1or modify an employee's rights under this section is void as against public policy and
2unenforceable.
AB286,15,53 (c) Nothing in this section prohibits an employer from providing employees
4with rights to family or medical leave insurance benefits that are more generous to
5the employee than the rights provided under this section.
AB286,15,8 6(6) Tax treatment of benefits. (a) State income tax. Family or medical leave
7insurance benefits received under this section are exempt from state income taxation
8under s. 71.05 (6) (b) 53.
AB286,15,109 (b) Federal income tax. With respect to the federal income taxation of family
10or medical leave insurance benefits, the department shall do all of the following:
AB286,15,1611 1. At the time an individual files a claim for those benefits, advise the
12individual that those benefits are subject to federal income taxation, that
13requirements exist under federal law pertaining to estimated tax payments, and
14that the individual may elect to have federal income taxes withheld from the
15individual's benefit payments and may change that election not more than one time
16in an application year.
AB286,15,2017 2. Permit the individual to elect to have federal income tax deducted and
18withheld from the individual's benefit payments, permit the individual to change
19that election not more than one time in an application year, and deduct and withhold
20that tax in accordance with the individual's election as provided under 26 USC 3402.
AB286,15,2321 3. Upon making a deduction under subd. 2., transfer the amount deducted from
22the family and medical leave insurance trust fund to the federal internal revenue
23service.
AB286,16,3
14. In deducting and withholding federal income taxes from an individual's
2benefit payments, follow all procedures specified by the federal internal revenue
3service pertaining to the deducting and withholding of federal income tax.
AB286,16,18 4(7) Family and medical leave insurance trust fund. Each employee and each
5self-employed individual who elects coverage under sub. (2) (b) shall contribute to
6the family and medical leave insurance trust fund a percentage of his or her wages
7from employment or income from self-employment determined by the department
8under this subsection. In determining that percentage, the department shall consult
9with the commissioner of insurance, who shall recommend a percentage that is
10sufficient to finance the payment of benefits under sub. (2) (c) and the administration
11of the family and medical leave insurance program under this section. The
12department shall collect those contributions from employers and self-employed
13individuals who elect coverage under sub. (2) (b) in the same manner as the
14department collects contributions to the unemployment reserve fund under ss.
15108.17 and 108.18. Section 108.10 applies to issues regarding liability of employers
16for contributions under this subsection. Contributions received under this
17subsection shall be deposited in the family and medical leave insurance trust fund
18and credited to the appropriation account under s. 20.445 (1) (w).
AB286,16,23 19(8) Denial of claims; overpayments. (a) An individual whose claim for family
20or medical leave insurance benefits is denied by the department may request a
21hearing on the denial, and the department shall process the request for a hearing in
22the same manner that requests for hearings on unemployment insurance claims are
23processed under s. 108.09.
AB286,17,924 (b) If the department pays family or medical leave insurance benefits
25erroneously or as a result of willful misrepresentation, the department may seek

1repayment of those benefits in the same manner that the department recovers
2erroneous payments of unemployment insurance benefits under ss. 108.095, 108.22
3(8), and 108.225. The department may waive recovery of an erroneous payment of
4family or medical leave insurance benefits if the erroneous payment was not the fault
5of the person who received it and if requiring repayment would be contrary to equity
6and good conscience. If an individual willfully makes a false statement or
7representation, or willfully fails to disclose a material fact, to obtain family or
8medical leave insurance benefits under this section, the individual is disqualified
9from receiving those benefits for one year after the date of the disqualification.
AB286,17,11 10(9) Prohibited acts. (a) No person may interfere with, restrain, or deny the
11exercise of any right provided under this section.
AB286,17,1612 (b) No person may discharge or otherwise discriminate against any person for
13exercising any right provided under this section, opposing a practice prohibited
14under this section, filing a complaint or attempting to enforce any right provided
15under this section, or testifying or assisting in any action or proceeding to enforce any
16right provided under this section.
AB286,18,5 17(10) Enforcement. (a) Any person who believes that his or her rights under
18this section have been interfered with, restrained, or denied in violation of sub. (9)
19(a) or that he or she has been discharged or otherwise discriminated against in
20violation of sub. (9) (b) may, within 30 days after the violation occurs or the person
21should reasonably have known that the violation occurred, whichever is later, file a
22complaint with the department alleging the violation, and the department shall
23process the complaint in the same manner as complaints filed under s. 103.10 (12)
24(b) are processed. If the department finds that an employer has violated sub. (9) (a)
25or (b), the department may order the employer to take action to remedy the violation,

1including providing the requested family or medical leave, reinstating an employee,
2providing back pay accrued not more than 2 years before the complaint was filed, and
3paying reasonable actual attorney fees to the complainant. Section 111.322 (2m)
4applies to a discharge or other discriminatory act arising in connection with any
5proceeding under this paragraph.
AB286,18,106 (b) After the completion of an administrative proceeding under par. (a),
7including judicial review, an employee or the department may bring an action in
8circuit court against an employer to recover damages caused by a violation of sub. (9)
9(a) or (b). Section 103.10 (13) (b) applies to the commencement of an action under this
10paragraph.
AB286,18,13 11(11) Administration. The department shall administer the family and medical
12leave insurance program under this section. In administering that program, the
13department shall do all of the following:
AB286,18,1514 (a) Establish procedures and forms for the filing of claims for benefits under
15this section.
AB286,18,1916 (b) Promulgate rules to implement this section. Those rules shall maintain
17consistency with the regulations specified in 29 CFR Part 825 and the rules
18promulgated by the department to implement s. 103.10 to the extent that those
19regulations and rules do not conflict with this section.
AB286,18,2420 (c) Use information sharing and integration technology to facilitate the
21exchange of information as necessary for the department to perform its duties under
22this section. Notwithstanding s. 19.35 (1), individual personal information
23maintained by the department under this section is confidential and not open to
24public inspection and copying and may be disclosed only as follows:
AB286,19,2
11. On the request of the individual who is the subject of the information or the
2individual's authorized representative, to the individual or representative.
AB286,19,53 2. With the written permission of the individual who is the subject of the
4information or the individual's authorized representative, to a person named in the
5permission.
AB286,19,76 3. To a public employee for use in the performance of the public employee's
7official duties.
AB286,19,108 4. Under a court order or an order of a hearing examiner that is obtained upon
9prior notice to the department and a showing to the court or hearing examiner that
10the information is relevant to a pending court or administrative action.
AB286,19,1511 (d) Conduct a public outreach campaign to inform employers, employees,
12self-employed individuals, and other covered individuals regarding the family and
13medical leave insurance program under this section. Information provided under
14this paragraph shall be provided in English and in any other language customarily
15spoken by more than 20 percent of the population of this state.
AB286,19,2216 (e) By September 1 of each year, submit a report to the governor, the joint
17committee on finance, and the appropriate standing committees of the legislature
18under s. 13.172 (3) on the family and medical leave insurance program under this
19section. The report shall include the projected and actual rates of participation in
20the program, the premium rates for coverage under the program, the balance in the
21family and medical leave insurance trust fund under s. 25.52, and a description of
22the department's outreach efforts under par. (d).
AB286,20,2 23(12) Notice posted. Each employer shall post, on its Internet site and in one
24or more conspicuous places where notices to employees are customarily posted, a
25notice in a form approved by the department setting forth employees' rights under

1this section. Any employer that violates this subsection shall forfeit not more than
2$100 for each violation.
AB286,29 3Section 29. 111.322 (2m) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB286,20,74 111.322 (2m) (a) The individual files a complaint or attempts to enforce any
5right under s. 103.02, 103.10, 103.105, 103.11, 103.13, 103.28, 103.32, 103.34,
6103.455, 104.12, 109.03, 109.07, 109.075, 146.997, or 995.55, or ss. 101.58 to 101.599
7or 103.64 to 103.82.
AB286,30 8Section 30. 111.322 (2m) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB286,20,129 111.322 (2m) (b) The individual testifies or assists in any action or proceeding
10held under or to enforce any right under s. 103.02, 103.10, 103.105, 103.11, 103.13,
11103.28, 103.32, 103.34, 103.455, 104.12, 109.03, 109.07, 109.075, 146.997, or 995.55,
12or ss. 101.58 to 101.599 or 103.64 to 103.82.
AB286,31 13Section 31. Nonstatutory provisions.
AB286,20,1814 (1) Proposed permanent rules. The department of workforce development
15shall submit in proposed form the rules required under section 103.105 (11) (b) of the
16statutes to the legislative council staff under section 227.15 (1) of the statutes no
17later than the first day of the 4th month beginning after the effective date of this
18subsection.
AB286,20,1919 (2) Rule-making exceptions for permanent rules.
AB286,20,2320 (a) Notwithstanding section 227.135 (2) of the statutes, the department of
21workforce development is not required to present the statement of the scope of the
22rules required under section 103.105 (11) (b) of the statutes to the governor for
23approval.
AB286,21,3
1(b) Notwithstanding section 227.185 of the statutes, the department of
2workforce development is not required to present the rules required under section
3103.105 (11) (b) of the statutes in final draft form to the governor for approval.
AB286,21,64 (c) Notwithstanding section 227.137 (2) of the statutes, the department of
5workforce development is not required to prepare an economic impact analysis for
6the rules required under section 103.105 (11) (b) of the statutes.
AB286,21,117 (d) Notwithstanding sections 227.14 (2g) and 227.19 (3) (e) of the statutes, the
8department of workforce development is not required to submit the proposed rules
9required under section 103.105 (11) (b) of the statutes to the small business
10regulatory review board and is not required to prepare a final regulatory flexibility
11analysis for those rules.
AB286,21,2412 (3) Emergency rules. Using the procedure under section 227.24 of the statutes,
13the department of workforce development shall promulgate the rules required under
14section 103.105 (11) (b) of the statutes for the period before the effective date of the
15permanent rules promulgated under section 103.105 (11) (b) of the statutes but not
16to exceed the period authorized under section 227.24 (1) (c) of the statutes, subject
17to extension under section 227.24 (2) of the statutes. Notwithstanding section 227.24
18(1) (a), (2) (b), and (3) of the statutes, the department is not required to provide
19evidence that promulgating a rule under this subsection as an emergency rule is
20necessary for the preservation of public peace, health, safety, or welfare and is not
21required to provide a finding of an emergency for a rule promulgated under this
22subsection. Notwithstanding section 227.24 (1) (e) 1d. and 1g. of the statutes, the
23department is not required to prepare a statement of the scope of the rules
24promulgated under this subsection or present the rules to the governor for approval.
AB286,32 25Section 32. Initial applicability.
AB286,22,3
1(1) Family and medical leave insurance trust fund contributions. Except as
2provided in subsection (3), the treatment of section 103.105 (7) of the statutes first
3applies to wages earned on January 1, 2021.
AB286,22,84 (2) Family or medical leave insurance benefits eligibility. Except as provided
5in subsection (3), the treatment of section 103.105 (2) (a) and (c) of the statutes first
6applies to a period of family leave, as defined in section 103.105 (1) (h) of the statutes,
7or a period of medical leave, as defined in section 103.105 (1) (L) of the statutes,
8commencing on January 1, 2022.
AB286,22,129 (3) Collective bargaining agreements. This act first applies to an employee
10who is affected by a collective bargaining agreement that contains provisions
11inconsistent with this act on the day on which the collective bargaining agreement
12expires or is extended, modified, or renewed.
AB286,22,1313 (End)
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