2017 Wisconsin Act 147

  Date of enactment: March 28, 2018
2017 Assembly Bill 710   Date of publication*: March 29, 2018

* Section 991.11, Wisconsin Statutes: Effective date of acts. “Every act and every portion of an act enacted by the legislature over the governor's partial veto which does not expressly prescribe the time when it takes effect shall take effect on the day after its date of publication."

2017 WISCONSIN ACT 147

An Act to renumber and amend 108.24 (1); and to create 108.24 (1) (b) and (c) of the statutes; relating to: criminal penalties for fraud in obtaining unemployment insurance benefits and providing a criminal penalty.

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

147,1 Section 1. 108.24 (1) of the statutes is renumbered 108.24 (1) (a) and amended to read:

108.24 (1) (a) Any person who knowingly makes a false statement or representation to obtain any benefit payment under this chapter, either for himself or herself or for any other person, shall be fined not less than $100 nor more than $500 or imprisoned not more than 90 days, or both; and each such false statement or representation constitutes a separate offense. This may be penalized as provided in par. (b). Any penalty imposed under par. (b) is in addition to any penalty imposed under s. 108.04 (11) (bh).

147,2 Section 2. 108.24 (1) (b) and (c) of the statutes are created to read:

108.24 (1) (b) Whoever violates par. (a):

1. If the value of any benefits obtained does not exceed $2,500, is subject to a fine not to exceed $10,000 or imprisonment not to exceed 9 months, or both.

2. If the value of any benefits obtained exceeds $2,500 but does not exceed $5,000, is guilty of a Class I felony.

3. If the value of any benefits obtained exceeds $5,000 but does not exceed $10,000, is guilty of a Class H felony.

4. If the value of any benefits obtained exceeds $10,000, is guilty of a Class G felony.

(c) In any case involving more than one violation of par. (a), all such violations may be prosecuted as a single crime.

147,3 Section 3. Initial applicability.

(1) Unemployment insurance; criminal penalties for benefit fraud. This act first applies to a violation of section 108.24 (1) (a) of the statutes committed on the effective date of this subsection.

147,4 Section 4. Effective date.

(1) Unemployment insurance; criminal penalties for benefit fraud. This act takes effect on the first Sunday after publication.