2005 WISCONSIN ACT 86
An Act to repeal 108.02 (15) (k) 14., 108.04 (1) (e), 108.04 (7) (f) and 108.05 (1) (j) to (m); to renumber 108.22 (1) (ad); to renumber and amend 108.105 and 108.22 (8) (b); to amend 20.445 (1) (gd), 20.445 (1) (nb), 20.445 (1) (nc), 20.445 (1) (nd), 20.445 (1) (ne), 108.02 (12) (a), 108.02 (12) (dm), 108.02 (12) (dn), 108.02 (15) (j) 5. and 6., 108.02 (21) (b), 108.02 (21e) (intro.) and (b), 108.04 (1) (b) 1., 108.04 (1) (b) 3. (intro.), 108.04 (1) (c), 108.04 (5), 108.04 (13) (c), 108.04 (13) (e), 108.04 (16) (b), 108.04 (16) (c) 2., 108.05 (1) (n) (intro.), 108.05 (3) (a), 108.05 (10) (b), 108.068 (2), 108.068 (8), 108.09 (2) (bm), 108.09 (4s), 108.151 (4) (b), 108.16 (6m) (a), 108.16 (8) (e) 1., 108.16 (8) (h), 108.17 (2g), 108.18 (1) (a), 108.18 (2) (d), 108.20 (2m), 108.205 (2), 108.22 (1) (ac), 108.22 (1) (b), 108.22 (1) (c), 108.22 (1m), 108.22 (2), 108.225 (1) (a), 108.225 (20), 108.24 (2) and 165.60; and to create 20.445 (1) (gi), 108.02 (15) (j) 7., 108.04 (5g), 108.04 (13) (g), 108.05 (1) (o) and (p), 108.09 (4n), 108.105 (2), 108.151 (7), 108.151 (8), 108.152 (7), 108.16 (6w) and (6x), 108.16 (8) (em), 108.16 (8) (im), 108.16 (8) (m) to (o), 108.17 (2b), 108.205 (1m), 108.22 (1) (ad) 2., 108.22 (8) (b) 2. and 165.066 of the statutes; relating to: various changes in the unemployment insurance law, authorized positions for the department of justice, making appropriations, and providing penalties.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
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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 
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Section
2. 20.445 (1) (gd) of the statutes is amended to read:
20.445
(1) (gd)
Unemployment interest and penalty payments. From the moneys received as interest and penalties collected under ss. 108.04 (11) (c) and (cm) and 108.22, assessments under s. 108.19 (1m)
, and forfeitures under s. 103.05 (5), all moneys not appropriated under pars. (ge), (gf)
and, (gg)
, and (gi), and all moneys transferred to this appropriation account from the appropriation account under par. (gh) for the payment of benefits specified in s. 108.07 (5) and
1987 Wisconsin Act 38, section
132 (1) (c), for the payment of interest to employers under s. 108.17 (3m), for the payment of interest due on advances from the federal unemployment account under title XII of the social security act to the unemployment reserve fund, and for payments made to the unemployment reserve fund to obtain a lower interest rate or deferral of interest payments on these advances, except as otherwise provided in s. 108.20.
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3. 20.445 (1) (gi) of the statutes is created to read:
20.445 (1) (gi) Unemployment insurance law enforcement. From the moneys received as interest and penalties collected under ss. 108.04 (11) (c) and (cm) and (13) (c) and 108.22, as a continuing appropriation, the amounts in the schedule for the purpose of assisting the department of justice in the enforcement of ch. 108.
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4. 20.445 (1) (nb) of the statutes is amended to read:
20.445 (1) (nb) Unemployment administration; information technology systems; federal moneys. From the moneys received from the federal government under section 903 (d) of the federal Social Security Act, as amended, as a continuing appropriation, the amounts in the schedule, as authorized by the governor under s. 16.54, for the purpose specified in s. 108.19 (1e) (d). All moneys transferred from par. (n) for this purpose shall be credited to this appropriation account. Notwithstanding s. 20.001 (3) (a), the treasurer of the unemployment reserve fund shall transfer any unencumbered balance in this appropriation account that is not needed or available to carry out the purpose of this appropriation to the appropriation account under par. (n). No moneys may be expended from this appropriation unless the treasurer of the unemployment reserve fund determines that such expenditure is currently needed for the purpose specified in s. 108.19 (1e) (d).
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5. 20.445 (1) (nc) of the statutes is amended to read:
20.445 (1) (nc) Unemployment insurance administration; special federal moneys. All moneys received from the federal government under section 903 of the federal Social Security Act, as amended, for federal fiscal years 2000 and 2001 and the first $2,289,107 $3,289,107 of the moneys received from the federal government under that act for federal fiscal year 2002, as authorized by the governor under s. 16.54, to be used for administration of unemployment insurance. No moneys may be encumbered or expended from this appropriation after September 30, 2007.
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Section
6. 20.445 (1) (nd) of the statutes is amended to read:
20.445 (1) (nd) Unemployment insurance administration; apprenticeship. From the moneys received from the federal government under section 903 (d) of the federal Social Security Act, as amended, the amounts in the schedule, as authorized by the governor under s. 16.54, to be used for administration by the department of apprenticeship programs under subch. I of ch. 106. All moneys transferred from par. (n) for this purpose shall be credited to this appropriation account. Notwithstanding s. 20.001 (3) (a), the treasurer of the unemployment reserve fund shall transfer any unencumbered balance in this appropriation account that is not needed or available to carry out the purpose of this appropriation to the appropriation account under par. (n). No moneys may be expended from this appropriation unless the treasurer of the unemployment reserve fund determines that such expenditure is currently needed for the purpose specified in this paragraph.
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Section
7. 20.445 (1) (ne) of the statutes is amended to read:
20.445 (1) (ne) Unemployment administration; bank service costs. From the moneys received by this state under section 903 (d) of the federal Social Security Act, as amended, all moneys transferred from the appropriation account under par. (n) to be used for the payment of the cost of banking services incurred by the unemployment reserve fund. Notwithstanding s. 20.001 (3) (c), the treasurer of the unemployment reserve fund shall transfer any unencumbered balance in this appropriation account that is not needed or available to carry out the purpose of this appropriation to the appropriation account under par. (n). No moneys may be expended from this appropriation unless the treasurer of the unemployment reserve fund determines that such expenditure is currently needed for the purpose specified in this paragraph.
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8. 108.02 (12) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
108.02 (12) (a) "Employee" means any individual who is or has been performing services for pay for an employing unit, in an employment, whether or not the individual is paid directly by such the employing unit;, except as provided in par. (b), (bm), (c), (d), (dm) or (dn).
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9. 108.02 (12) (dm) of the statutes is amended to read:
108.02 (12) (dm) Paragraph (a) does not apply to an individual who owns a business that operates as a sole proprietorship with respect to services the individual performs for that business.
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Section
10. 108.02 (12) (dn) of the statutes is amended to read:
108.02 (12) (dn) Paragraph (a) does not apply to a partner in a business that operates as a partnership with respect to services the partner performs for that business.
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Section
11. 108.02 (15) (j) 5. and 6. of the statutes are amended to read:
108.02
(15) (j) 5. In any quarter in the employ of any organization exempt from federal income tax under section
501 (a) of the internal revenue code, other than an organization described in section 401 (a) or 501 (c) (3) of such code, or under section
521 of the internal revenue code, if the remuneration for such service is less than $50;
or
6. By a nonresident alien for the period that he or she is temporarily present in the United States as a nonimmigrant under
8 USC 1101 (a) (15) (F), (J), (M), or (Q), if the service is performed to carry out the purpose for which the alien is admitted to the United States, as provided in
8 USC 1101 (a) (15) (F), (J), (M), or (Q), or by the spouse or minor child of such an alien if the spouse or child was also admitted to the United States under
8 USC 1101 (a) (15) (F), (J), (M), or (Q) for the same purpose
.; or
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12. 108.02 (15) (j) 7. of the statutes is created to read:
108.02
(15) (j) 7. By an individual who is a participant in the AmeriCorps program in a program that is funded under
42 USC 12581 (a) or (d) (1) or (2), except service performed pursuant to a professional corps program as described in
42 USC 12572 (a) (8) or service performed pursuant to an innovative education award only program under
42 USC 12653 (b).
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Section
13. 108.02 (15) (k) 14. of the statutes is repealed.
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14. 108.02 (21) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:
108.02 (21) (b) Notwithstanding par. (a), except as provided in s. 108.151 (7)_ (a), an employer's payroll includes only the first $10,500 of wages paid by an employer to an individual during a calendar year, including any wages paid for any work covered by the unemployment insurance law of any other state, except as authorized in s. 108.17 (5).
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Section
15. 108.02 (21e) (intro.) and (b) of the statutes are amended to read:
108.02 (21e) Professional employer organization. (intro.) "Professional employer organization" means any person who contracts to provide the nontemporary, ongoing employee workforce of a client more than one client under a written leasing contract, the majority of whose clients are not under the same ownership, management, or control as the person other than through the terms of the contract, and who under contract and in fact:
(b) Sets the rate of pay of the employees, whether or not through negotiations and whether or not the responsibility to set the rate of pay is shared with the client;
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Section
16. 108.04 (1) (b) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:
108.04 (1) (b) 1. While the employee is unable to work, or unavailable for work, if his or her employment with an employer was suspended by the employee or by the employer or was terminated by the employer because the employee was unable to do, or unavailable for, suitable work otherwise available with the employer, except as provided in par. (c);
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Section
17. 108.04 (1) (b) 3. (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:
108.04
(1) (b) 3. While the employee is on family or medical leave under the federal family and medical leave act of 1993 (P.L.
103-3) or s. 103.10,
and except as provided in par. (c), until whichever of the following occurs first:
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Section
18. 108.04 (1) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:
108.04 (1) (c) If a leave of absence under par. (b) 2. or a family or medical leave under par. (b) 3. is granted to an employee for a portion of a week, if an employee is absent for only a portion of the available work in a week due to a suspension under par. (b) 1., or if an employee is absent for only a portion of the available work in a week in which a termination under par. (b) 1. occurs, the employee's eligibility for benefits for that partial week shall be reduced by the amount of wages that the employee could have earned in his or her work had the leave not been granted or had the suspension or termination not occurred. For purposes of this paragraph, the department shall treat the amount the employee would have earned as wages in that work for that week as wages earned by the employee and shall apply the method specified in s. 108.05 (3) (a) to compute the benefits payable to the employee. The department shall estimate the wages that an employee would have earned for a partial week if it is not possible to compute the exact amount of wages that the employee would have earned for that partial week.
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Section
19. 108.04 (1) (e) of the statutes is repealed.
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20. 108.04 (5) of the statutes is amended to read:
108.04 (5) Discharge for misconduct.
An Unless sub. (5g) applies, an employee whose work is terminated by an employing unit for misconduct connected with the employee's work is ineligible to receive benefits until 7 weeks have elapsed since the end of the week in which the discharge occurs and the employee earns wages after the week in which the discharge occurs equal to at least 14 times the employee's weekly benefit rate under s. 108.05 (1) in employment or other work covered by the unemployment insurance law of any state or the federal government. For purposes of requalification, the employee's weekly benefit rate shall be that rate which would have been paid had the discharge not occurred. The wages paid to an employee by an employer which terminates employment of the employee for misconduct connected with the employee's employment shall be excluded from the employee's base period wages under s. 108.06 (1) for purposes of benefit entitlement. This subsection does not preclude an employee who has employment with an employer other than the employer which terminated the employee for misconduct from establishing a benefit year using the base period wages excluded under this subsection if the employee qualifies to establish a benefit year under s. 108.06 (2) (a). The department shall charge to the fund's balancing account any benefits otherwise chargeable to the account of an employer that is subject to the contribution requirements under ss. 108.17 and 108.18 from which base period wages are excluded under this subsection.
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Section
21. 108.04 (5g) of the statutes is created to read:
108.04 (5g) Discharge for failure to notify employer of absenteeism or tardiness. (a) If an employee is discharged for failing to notify his or her employer of absenteeism or tardiness that becomes excessive, and the employer has complied with the requirements of par. (d) with respect to that employee, the employee is ineligible to receive benefits until 6 weeks have elapsed since the end of the week in which the discharge occurs and the employee earns wages after the week in which the discharge occurs equal to at least 6 times the employee's weekly benefit rate under s. 108.05 (1) in employment or other work covered by the unemployment insurance law of any state or the federal government. For purposes of requalification, the employee's weekly benefit rate shall be the rate that would have been paid had the discharge not occurred.
(b) For purposes of this subsection, tardiness becomes excessive if an employee is late for 6 or more scheduled workdays in the 12-month period preceding the date of the discharge without providing adequate notice to his or her employer.
(c) For purposes of this subsection, absenteeism becomes excessive if an employee is absent for 5 or more scheduled workdays in the 12-month period preceding the date of the discharge without providing adequate notice to his or her employer.
(d) 1. The requalifying requirements under par. (a) apply only if the employer has a written policy on notification of tardiness or absences that:
a. Defines what constitutes a single occurrence of tardiness or absenteeism;
b. Describes the process for providing adequate notice of tardiness or absence; and
c. Notifies the employee that failure to provide adequate notice of an absence or tardiness may lead to discharge.
2. The employer shall provide a copy of the written policy under subd. 1. to each employee and shall have written evidence that the employee received a copy of that policy.
3. The employer must have given the employee at least one warning concerning the employee's violation of the employer's written policy under subd. 1. within the 12-month period preceding the date of the discharge.
4. The employer must apply the written policy under subd. 1. uniformly to all employees of the employer.
(e) The department shall charge to the fund's balancing account the cost of any benefits paid to an employee that are otherwise chargeable to the account of an employer that is subject to the contribution requirements under ss. 108.17 and 108.18 if the employee is discharged by that employer and par. (a) applies.
(f) This subsection applies only to discharges occurring during the period beginning on the first Sunday that follows the 90th day beginning after the effective date of this paragraph .... [revisor inserts date], and ending on the last day of the 4-year period that begins on that Sunday.
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22. 108.04 (7) (f) of the statutes is repealed.
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Section
23. 108.04 (13) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:
108.04 (13) (c) If an employer, after notice of a benefit claim, fails to file an objection to the claim under s. 108.09 (1), any benefits allowable under any resulting benefit computation shall, unless the department applies a provision of this chapter to disqualify the claimant, be promptly paid. Except as otherwise provided in this paragraph, any eligibility question in objection to the claim raised by the employer after benefit payments to the claimant are commenced does not affect benefits paid prior to the end of the week in which a determination is issued as to the eligibility question unless the benefits are erroneously paid without fault on the part of the employer. If, during the period beginning on January 1, 2006, and ending on June 28, 2008, an employer fails to provide correct and complete information requested by the department during a fact-finding investigation, but later provides the requested information, charges to the employer's account for benefits paid prior to the end of the week in which a redetermination is issued regarding the matter or, if no redetermination is issued, prior to the end of the week in which an appeal tribunal decision is issued regarding the matter, are not affected by the redetermination or decision, except as provided in par. (g). If benefits are erroneously paid because the employer and the employee are at fault, the department shall charge the employer for the benefits and proceed to create an overpayment under s. 108.22 (8) (a). If benefits are erroneously paid without fault on the part of the employer, regardless of whether the employee is at fault, the department shall charge the benefits as provided in par. (d), unless par. (e) applies, and proceed to create an overpayment under s. 108.22 (8) (a). If benefits are erroneously paid because an employer is at fault and the department recovers the benefits erroneously paid under s. 108.22 (8), the recovery does not affect benefit charges made under this paragraph.
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Section
24. 108.04 (13) (e) of the statutes is amended to read:
108.04 (13) (e) If the department erroneously pays benefits from one employer's account and a 2nd employer is at fault, the department shall credit the benefits paid to the first employer's account and charge the benefits paid to the 2nd employer's account. Filing of a tardy or corrected report or objection does not affect the 2nd employer's liability for benefits paid prior to the end of the week in which the department makes a recomputation of the benefits allowable or prior to the end of the week in which the department issues a determination concerning any eligibility question raised by the report or by the 2nd employer. If, during the period beginning on January 1, 2006, and ending on June 28, 2008, the 2nd employer fails to provide correct and complete information requested by the department during a fact-finding investigation, but later provides the requested information, the department shall charge to the account of the 2nd employer the cost of benefits paid prior to the end of the week in which a redetermination is issued regarding the matter or, if no redetermination is issued, prior to the end of the week in which an appeal tribunal decision is issued regarding the matter, except as provided in par. (g). If the department recovers the benefits erroneously paid under s. 108.22 (8), the recovery does not affect benefit charges made under this paragraph.
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Section
25. 108.04 (13) (g) of the statutes is created to read:
108.04 (13) (g) During the period beginning on January 1, 2006, and ending on June 28, 2008, if benefits are erroneously paid because an employer fails to provide correct and complete information requested by the department during a fact-finding investigation, the employer is at fault unless an appeal tribunal, the commission, or a court of competent jurisdiction finds that the employer had good cause for the failure to provide the information.
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26. 108.04 (16) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:
108.04 (16) (b) The department shall not apply any benefit disqualification under sub. (1) (b) 1., (2) (a) or (d), (7) (c), or (8) (e) or s. 108.141 (3g) that is not the result of training or basic education under par. (a) while an individual is enrolled in a course of training or education that meets the standards specified in par. (a).
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27. 108.04 (16) (c) 2. of the statutes is amended to read:
108.04 (16) (c) 2. The department shall not apply benefit disqualifications under sub. (1) (b) 1., (2) (a) or (d), (7) (c), or (8) (e) or s. 108.141 (3g) that are not the result of the training while the individual is enrolled in the training.
