SB189: Bill Text

Under the Clean Water Fund Program, this state provides financial assistance for projects for controlling water pollution, including sewage treatment plants, using state and federal funds. One form of financial assistance provided under the Clean Water Fund Program is a loan at a subsidized interest rate. The law specifies the interest rates at which loans are provided. The Clean Water Fund Program also provides grants to municipalities that satisfy financial hardship criteria. The budget bill for each fiscal biennium establishes the present value of the subsidies that may be provided under the Clean Water Fund Program during that fiscal biennium. Current law prohibits applications from being approved and funds from being expended for clean water fund projects in a fiscal biennium before the budget bill is enacted.

The ARRA provides funds for state programs like the Clean Water Fund Program. This bill authorizes those funds to be expended under the Clean Water Fund Program. The bill allows the funds to be provided as loans at interest rates that may differ from the rates provided under current law and allows forgiveness of a portion of the principal amount of a loan. The bill also allows the funds to be provided as grants, without regard to the financial hardship criteria. The bill allows applications to be approved and funds to be expended before the budget bill is enacted.

Under the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program, this state provides loans to local governmental units for projects for the construction or modification of public water systems, using state and federal funds. The loans are provided at subsidized interest rates. The law specifies the interest rates at which loans are provided. The budget bill for each fiscal biennium establishes the present value of the subsidies that may be provided under the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program during that fiscal biennium. Current law prohibits applications from being approved and funds from being expended for safe drinking water projects in a fiscal biennium before the budget bill is enacted.

The ARRA provides funds for state programs like the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program. This bill authorizes those funds to be expended under the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program. The bill allows the funds to be provided as loans at interest rates that may differ from the rates provided under current law and allows forgiveness of a portion of the principal amount of a loan. The bill also allows the funds to be provided as grants. The bill allows applications to be approved and funds to be expended before the budget bill is enacted.

health and human services

Under current law, a community action agency approved by the secretary of children and families and by the legislative body of the local governmental unit serviced by the community action agency is required to develop and implement programs designed to serve persons whose income is at or below 125 percent of the poverty line. Those programs may include provisions that will help those persons secure and retain employment, improve their education, make better use of available income, obtain adequate housing and a suitable living environment, secure needed transportation, obtain emergency assistance, participate in community affairs, and use more effectively other available programs. This bill increases the eligibility threshold for participation in a program of a community action agency to 200 percent of the poverty line until September 30, 2010. After that date the eligibility threshold reverts to 125 percent of the poverty line.

INSURANCE

Under current law, an employee who is covered by a group health insurance policy through his or her employer and who is involuntarily terminated from his or her job may elect to continue coverage after termination. Wisconsin law provides for continuation coverage for those not covered under a similar federal law. Current law requires employers to send a notice within five days of the termination describing the terminated employee's right to continue coverage. Within 30 days of receiving the notice, the terminated employee may elect continuation coverage for himself or herself or for his or her spouse and dependents if they had also been covered through the employer's group health insurance.

The ARRA provides specific benefits for certain people who are eligible for continuation coverage under federal law or under state law. Under this bill, for those terminated employees who became eligible for state continuation coverage on or after September 1, 2008, but before the effective date of this bill, the employer has ten days after the effective date of the bill to send an additional notice that contains the information required under the ARRA, and the terminated employee has 60 days to elect continuation coverage instead of 30 days. For those terminated employees who become eligible for state continuation coverage on or after the effective date of this bill but before January 1, 2010, the employer must send the notice as required under current law, but the notice must contain the information as required under the ARRA.

local government

Under current law, a municipality (a city, village, or town) is authorized to impose a special charge against real property for current services rendered by allocating all or part of the cost of the service to the property served. A "service" under current law includes snow and ice removal, weed elimination, sidewalks or curb and gutter repair, garbage and refuse disposal, recycling, storm water management, tree care, and other similar services that are not specified in the definition. Special charges are not payable in installments. If a special charge is not paid within the time specified by the municipality, the special charge is delinquent and becomes a lien on the property against which it is imposed.

This bill authorizes a political subdivision (a municipality or county) to make a loan to a resident of the political subdivision for making or installing an energy efficiency improvement or a renewable resource application to the resident's residential property. The bill also authorizes the political subdivision to collect the loan repayment as a special charge. A special charge that is imposed for such a loan repayment may be collected in installments and may be included as a charge on the resident's property tax bill even if the special charge is not delinquent.

shared revenue

Under current law, for purposes of determining a municipality's eligibility to receive expenditure restraint payments, a comparison of a municipality's current budget with its previous budget excludes principal and interest on long-term debt, certain revenue sharing payments, and recycling fee payments. Under this bill, expenditures from moneys received under the ARRA are also excluded from municipal budget comparisons for purposes of determining a municipality's eligibility to receive expenditure restraint payments.

State Government

Under current law, DOA administers programs for providing energy and weatherization assistance to low-income households. Under the programs, "low-income household" is defined, in part, as a household with income that is not more than 150 percent of income poverty guidelines or a poverty line determined under federal law. This bill defines "low-income household" for the programs as, in part, not more than 60 percent of the statewide median household income.

unemployment insurance

This bill expands eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits and changes the duration of federal/state extended benefits.

Benefit eligibility

Voluntary termination of employment. Currently, if an employee voluntarily terminates his or her work for an employer, the employee is generally ineligible to receive benefits until four weeks have elapsed since the end of the week in which the termination occurs and the employee earns wages after the week in which the termination occurs equal to at least four times the employee's weekly benefit rate in employment covered by the unemployment insurance law of any state or the federal government. However, an employee may terminate his or her work and receive benefits without requalifying under this provision, among other reasons, if the employee: 1) terminates his or her work due to domestic abuse or concerns about the personal safety or harassment of the employee's family or household members; or 2) was unable to work due to the health of a family member. This bill expands the domestic abuse exception to include abuse or threat of abuse by an unrelated individual with whom the employee had a personal relationship, includes an adopted relative in the definition of family member, and permits the domestic abuse or concerns to be verified either by a protective order, by a report of a law enforcement agency, or evidence provided by a licensed health care professional or an employee of a domestic violence shelter. The bill broadens the exception concerning the health of a family member to apply to any verified illness or disability that necessitates the care of a family member for a period of time that is longer than the employee's employer is willing to grant leave. The bill also provides that requalification is not required if an employee's spouse changed his or her place of employment to a place to which it is impractical to commute and the employee terminated his or her work to accompany the spouse to that place.

Approved training in high-demand occupations. Currently, benefits may not be denied to an otherwise eligible claimant because the claimant is enrolled in a vocational training course or a basic education course that is a prerequisite to such training ("approved training") under certain conditions. Currently, unless a claimant qualifies for federal/state extended benefits, Wisconsin supplemental benefits, or federal emergency compensation and unless certain other exceptions apply, no claimant may receive total benefits based on employment in a base period (period preceding a claim during which benefit rights accrue) greater than 26 times the claimant's weekly benefit rate or 40 percent of the claimant' s base period wages, whichever is lower. This bill provides additional benefits to certain claimants. The bill provides, with certain exceptions, that if a claimant has exhausted all other rights to benefits, is currently enrolled in an approved training program under current law and was so enrolled prior to the end of the claimant's benefit year (period during which benefits are payable) that qualified the claimant for benefits, if not in a current benefit year, has a benefit year that ended no earlier than 52 weeks prior to the week for which the claimant first claims additional benefits, and is not receiving any similar stipends or other training allowances for nontraining costs is entitled to additional benefits of up to 26 times the same benefit rate that applied to the claimant during his or her most recent benefit year if the claimant: 1) has been separated from employment in a declining occupation or involuntarily separated from employment as a result of a permanent reduction in operations by his or her employer; and 2) is being trained for entry into a high-demand occupation. In addition, the bill provides that if the benefit year of such a claimant expires in a week in which extended or other additional federal or state benefits are payable generally (see below), the claimant is also eligible for the additional benefits while enrolled in a training program as provided under the bill if the claimant first enrolled in the program within 52 weeks after the end of the claimant's benefit year that qualified the claimant for benefits.

Payment of extended benefits

Currently, the maximum number of weeks of benefits that an eligible claimant may qualify to receive is normally 26 weeks. However, during certain periods of high unemployment in this state, as defined by law, claimants who have exhausted all their rights to receive benefits in a given benefit year may potentially qualify to receive up to an additional 13 weeks of "extended benefits," the costs of which, with certain exceptions, are shared between the federal government and employers in this state. Under recent federal legislation, the employer share is also paid in most cases by the federal government beginning with weeks of unemployment that begin on or after February 17, 2009, and ending with the last week beginning in 2009, and, for claimants who begin an extended benefit claim before that date, ending with the last week ending before June 1, 2010. In addition, under the federal legislation, during periods of exceptionally high unemployment in this state, claimants who qualify for extended benefits may qualify to receive an additional seven weeks of extended benefits that are financed in the same manner. This bill changes state law to conform with the recent federal legislation so as to enable claimants in this state to qualify for these additional extended benefits and to enable full participation by this state in federal cost sharing for these benefits.

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:

SB189, s. 1 Section 1. 16.27 (5) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB189,8,5 16.27 (5) (b) A household with income which is not more than 150% of the income poverty guidelines for the nonfarm population of the United States as prescribed by the federal office of management and budget under 42 USC 9902 (2) 60 percent of the statewide median household income.

SB189, s. 2 Section 2. 16.957 (1) (m) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB189,8,12 16.957 (1) (m) "Low-income household" means any individual or group of individuals in this state who are living together as one economic unit and for whom residential electricity is customarily purchased in common or who make undesignated payments for electricity in the form of rent, and whose household income is not more than 150% of the poverty line as determined under 42 USC 9902 (2) 60 percent of the statewide median household income.

SB189, s. 3 Section 3. 20.505 (6) (n) of the statutes is created to read:

SB189,8,16 20.505 (6) (n) Federal aid; criminal justice. All moneys received from the federal government pursuant to P.L. 111-5 for criminal justice programs to carry out the purpose for which received.

SB189, s. 4 Section 4. 49.265 (1) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB189,9,4 49.265 (1) (b) "Poor person" means a resident of a community served by a community action agency, whose income is at or below 125% 200 percent of the poverty line.

SB189, s. 5 Section 5. 49.265 (1) (b) of the statutes, as affected by 2009 Wisconsin Act .... (this act), is repealed and recreated to read:

SB189,9,8 49.265 (1) (b) "Poor person" means a resident of a community served by a community action agency whose income is at or below 125 percent of the poverty line.

SB189, s. 6 Section 6. 66.0627 (title) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB189,9,11 66.0627 (title) Special charges for current services and energy efficiency improvement loans.

SB189, s. 7 Section 7. 66.0627 (1) of the statutes is renumbered 66.0627 (1) (intro.) and amended to read:

SB189,9,14 66.0627 (1) (intro.) In this section, "service":

SB189,9,20 (c) "Service" includes snow and ice removal, weed elimination, street sprinkling, oiling and tarring, repair of sidewalks or curb and gutter, garbage and refuse disposal, recycling, storm water management, including construction of storm water management facilities, tree care, removal and disposition of dead animals under s. 60.23 (20), loan repayment under s. 70.57 (4) (b), soil conservation work under s. 92.115, and snow removal under s. 86.105.

SB189, s. 8 Section 8. 66.0627 (1) (a) of the statutes is created to read:

SB189,9,24 66.0627 (1) (a) "Energy efficiency improvement" means an improvement to a residential premises that reduces the usage of energy, or increases the efficiency of energy usage, at the premises.

SB189, s. 9 Section 9. 66.0627 (1) (b) of the statutes is created to read:

SB189,10,1 66.0627 (1) (b) "Political subdivision" means a city, village, town, or county.

SB189, s. 10 Section 10. 66.0627 (7) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB189,10,7 66.0627 (7) (intro.) Notwithstanding sub. (2), no city, village, town, or county political subdivision may enact an ordinance, or enforce an existing ordinance, that imposes a fee on the owner or occupant of property for a call for assistance that is made by the owner or occupant requesting law enforcement services that relate to any of the following:

SB189, s. 11 Section 11. 66.0627 (8) of the statutes is created to read:

SB189,10,16 66.0627 (8) A political subdivision may make a loan to a resident of the political subdivision for making or installing an energy efficiency improvement or a renewable resource application to the resident's residential property. If a political subdivision makes such a loan, the political subdivision may collect the loan repayment as a special charge under this section. Notwithstanding the provisions of sub. (4), a special charge imposed under this subsection may be collected in installments and may be included in the current or next tax roll for collection and settlement under ch. 74 even if the special charge is not delinquent.

SB189, s. 12 Section 12. 70.57 (4) (b) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB189,11,9 70.57 (4) (b) (intro.) A taxation district receiving payments under par. (a) shall use the payments to make loans to persons who own property located in the taxation district and who are paying more property taxes than they should be as a result of the error. A person may receive a loan by applying, in the manner prescribed by the department, to the taxation district in which the person's property is located no later than June 15 of the year following the error. The state shall collect the amount of any loan issued under this paragraph as a state special charge against the taxation district for the year after the year in which the error occurred and the special charge shall not be included in the taxation district's levy. The taxation district shall assess the loan amount as a special charge against the property for which the loan was made on the property tax bill succeeding the loan, as provided under ch. 74 and s. 66.0627 (1) (c). Except for interest and penalties, as provided under s. 74.47, that apply to any delinquent special charge based on the loan amount, neither the department nor the taxation district may charge interest on any loan issued under this paragraph. The maximum loan amount that a person may receive under this paragraph shall be calculated by multiplying the assessed value of the person's property by a decimal determined by the department as follows:

SB189, s. 13 Section 13. 71.07 (3w) (a) 3. of the statutes is amended to read:

SB189,11,14 71.07 (3w) (a) 3. "Full-time employee" means an individual who is employed in a regular, nonseasonal job and who, as a condition of employment, is required to work at least 2,080 hours per year, including paid leave and holidays a full-time employee, as defined in s. 560.799 (1) (am).

SB189, s. 14 Section 14. 71.07 (3w) (a) 5d. of the statutes is created to read:

SB189,11,17 71.07 (3w) (a) 5d. "Tier I county or municipality" means a tier I county or municipality, as determined by the department of commerce under s. 560.799.

SB189, s. 15 Section 15. 71.07 (3w) (a) 5e. of the statutes is created to read:

SB189,11,20 71.07 (3w) (a) 5e. "Tier II county or municipality" means a tier II county or municipality, as determined by the department of commerce under s. 560.799.

SB189, s. 16 Section 16. 71.07 (3w) (b) 1. a. of the statutes is amended to read:

SB189,12,3 71.07 (3w) (b) 1. a. The number of full-time employees whose annual wages are greater than $20,000 in a tier I county or municipality or greater than $30,000 in a tier II county or municipality and who the claimant employed in the enterprise zone in the taxable year, minus the number of full-time employees whose annual wages were greater than $20,000 in a tier I county or municipality or greater than $30,000 in a tier II county or municipality and who the claimant employed in the area that comprises the enterprise zone in the base year.

SB189, s. 17 Section 17. 71.07 (3w) (b) 1. b. of the statutes is amended to read:

SB189,12,11 71.07 (3w) (b) 1. b. The number of full-time employees whose annual wages are greater than $20,000 in a tier I county or municipality or greater than $30,000 in a tier II county or municipality and who the claimant employed in the state in the taxable year, minus the number of full-time employees whose annual wages were greater than $20,000 in a tier I county or municipality or greater than $30,000 in a tier II county or municipality and who the claimant employed in the state in the base year.

SB189, s. 18 Section 18. 71.07 (3w) (b) 2. of the statutes is amended to read:

SB189,12,20 71.07 (3w) (b) 2. Determine the claimant's average zone payroll by dividing total wages for full-time employees whose annual wages are greater than $20,000 in a tier I county or municipality or greater than $30,000 in a tier II county or municipality and who the claimant employed in the enterprise zone in the taxable year by the number of full-time employees whose annual wages are greater than $20,000 in a tier I county or municipality or greater than $30,000 in a tier II county or municipality and who the claimant employed in the enterprise zone in the taxable year.

SB189, s. 19 Section 19. 71.07 (3w) (b) 3. of the statutes is amended to read:

SB189,12,25 71.07 (3w) (b) 3. Subtract For employees in a tier I county or municipality, subtract $20,000 from the amount determined under subd. 2. and for employees in a tier II county or municipality, subtract $30,000 from the amount determined under subd. 2.

SB189, s. 20 Section 20. 71.07 (3w) (b) 5. of the statutes is amended to read:

SB189,13,4 71.07 (3w) (b) 5. Multiply the amount determined under subd. 4. by the percentage determined by the department of commerce under s. 560.799, not to exceed 7 percent.

SB189, s. 21 Section 21. 71.07 (3w) (bm) of the statutes is renumbered 71.07 (3w) (bm) 1. and amended to read:

SB189,13,16 71.07 (3w) (bm) 1. In addition to the credit credits under par. (b) and subd. 2., and subject to the limitations provided in this subsection and s. 560.799, a claimant may claim as a credit against the tax imposed under s. 71.02 or 71.08 an amount equal to a percentage, as determined by the department of commerce, not to exceed 100 percent, of the amount the claimant paid in the taxable year to upgrade or improve the job-related skills of any of the claimant's full-time employees, to train any of the claimant's full-time employees on the use of job-related new technologies, or to provide job-related training to any full-time employee whose employment with the claimant represents the employee's first full-time job. This subdivision does not apply to employees who do not work in an enterprise zone.

SB189, s. 22 Section 22. 71.07 (3w) (bm) 2. of the statutes is created to read:

SB189,14,5 71.07 (3w) (bm) 2. In addition to the credits under par. (b) and subd. 1., and subject to the limitations provided in this subsection and s. 560.799, a claimant may claim as a credit against the tax imposed under s. 71.02 or 71.08 an amount equal to the percentage, as determined by the department of commerce under s. 560.799, not to exceed 7 percent, of the claimant's zone payroll paid in the taxable year to all of the claimant's full-time employees whose annual wages are greater than $20,000 in a tier I county or municipality, not including the wages paid to the employees determined under par. (b) 1., or greater than $30,000 in a tier II county or municipality, not including the wages paid to the employees determined under par. (b) 1., and who the claimant employed in the enterprise zone in the taxable year, if the total number of such employees is equal to or greater than the total number of such employees in the base year. A claimant may claim a credit under this subdivision for no more than 5 consecutive taxable years.

SB189, s. 23 Section 23. 71.28 (3w) (a) 3. of the statutes is amended to read:

SB189,14,10 71.28 (3w) (a) 3. "Full-time employee" means an individual who is employed in a regular, nonseasonal job and who, as a condition of employment, is required to work at least 2,080 hours per year, including paid leave and holidays a full-time employee, as defined in s. 560.799 (1) (am).

SB189, s. 24 Section 24. 71.28 (3w) (a) 5d. of the statutes is created to read:

SB189,14,13 71.28 (3w) (a) 5d. "Tier I county or municipality" means a tier I county or municipality, as determined by the department of commerce under s. 560.799.

SB189, s. 25 Section 25. 71.28 (3w) (a) 5e. of the statutes is created to read:

SB189,14,16 71.28 (3w) (a) 5e. "Tier II county or municipality" means a tier II county or municipality, as determined by the department of commerce under s. 560.799.

SB189, s. 26 Section 26. 71.28 (3w) (b) 1. a. of the statutes is amended to read:

SB189,14,24 71.28 (3w) (b) 1. a. The number of full-time employees whose annual wages are greater than $20,000 in a tier I county or municipality or greater than $30,000 in a tier II county or municipality and who the claimant employed in the enterprise zone in the taxable year, minus the number of full-time employees whose annual wages were greater than $20,000 in a tier I county or municipality or greater than $30,000 in a tier II county or municipality and who the claimant employed in the area that comprises the enterprise zone in the base year.

SB189, s. 27 Section 27. 71.28 (3w) (b) 1. b. of the statutes is amended to read:

SB189,15,7 71.28 (3w) (b) 1. b. The number of full-time employees whose annual wages are greater than $20,000 in a tier I county or municipality or greater than $30,000 in a tier II county or municipality and who the claimant employed in the state in the taxable year, minus the number of full-time employees whose annual wages were greater than $20,000 in a tier I county or municipality or greater than $30,000 in a tier II county or municipality and who the claimant employed in the state in the base year.

SB189, s. 28 Section 28. 71.28 (3w) (b) 2. of the statutes is amended to read:

SB189,15,16 71.28 (3w) (b) 2. Determine the claimant's average zone payroll by dividing total wages for full-time employees whose annual wages are greater than $20,000 in a tier I county or municipality or greater than $30,000 in a tier II county or municipality and who the claimant employed in the enterprise zone in the taxable year by the number of full-time employees whose annual wages are greater than $20,000 in a tier I county or municipality or greater than $30,000 in a tier II county or municipality and who the claimant employed in the enterprise zone in the taxable year.

SB189, s. 29 Section 29. 71.28 (3w) (b) 3. of the statutes is amended to read:

SB189,15,21 71.28 (3w) (b) 3. Subtract For employees in a tier I county or municipality, subtract $20,000 from the amount determined under subd. 2. and for employees in a tier II county or municipality, subtract $30,000 from the amount determined under subd. 2.

SB189, s. 30 Section 30. 71.28 (3w) (b) 5. of the statutes is amended to read:

SB189,15,25 71.28 (3w) (b) 5. Multiply the amount determined under subd. 4. by the percentage determined by the department of commerce under s. 560.799, not to exceed 7 percent.

SB189, s. 31 Section 31. 71.28 (3w) (bm) of the statutes is renumbered 71.28 (3w) (bm) 1. and amended to read: