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(j) "Grandchild" means the child of a child.
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(k) "Grandparent" means the parent of a parent.
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(L) "Medical leave" means leave from employment when a covered individual
17has a serious health condition that makes the individual unable to perform his or her
18employment duties, leave from self-employment when a covered individual has a
19serious health condition that makes the individual unable to perform the duties of
20his or her self-employment, or leave from availability for employment when a
21covered individual has a serious health condition that makes the individual unable
22to perform the duties of any suitable employment.
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(m) "Parent" means a natural parent, foster parent, adoptive parent,
24stepparent, or legal guardian of an employee or of an employee's spouse or domestic
25partner.
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1(n) "Serious health condition" has the meaning given in s. 103.10 (1) (g).
SB385,11,32
(o) "Sibling" means a brother, sister, half brother, half sister, stepbrother, or
3stepsister, whether by blood, marriage, or adoption.
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(p) "Spouse" means an employee's legal husband or wife.
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(q) "State annual median wage" means the median hourly wage for all
6occupations in this state, as determined by the bureau of labor statistics of the U.S.
7department of labor, multiplied by 2,080.
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(r) "Waiting period" means the period under sub. (4) (b) 1. for which no family
9or medical leave insurance benefits are payable.
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10(2) Eligibility for benefits. (a) A covered individual who is on family or
11medical leave is eligible to receive family or medical leave insurance benefits in the
12amount specified in sub. (3) and for the duration specified in sub. (4). No family or
13medical leave insurance benefits are payable for any period of family or medical leave
14for which a covered individual is substituting paid leave of any other type provided
15by his or her employer or for which a covered individual is receiving unemployment
16benefits under ch. 108 or worker's compensation benefits under ch. 102.
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(b) Any sole proprietor, partner of a partnership, member of a limited liability
18company, or other self-employed individual engaged in a vocation, profession, or
19business in this state on a substantially full-time basis may elect to be covered under
20this section by filing a written notice of election with the department in a form and
21manner prescribed by the department by rule. An initial election under this
22paragraph becomes effective on the date on which the notice of election is filed, shall
23be for a period of not less than 3 years, and may be renewed for subsequent one-year
24periods by the filing of a written notice with the department that the self-employed
25individual intends to continue his or her coverage under this section. A
1self-employed individual that elects coverage under this section may withdraw that
2election no earlier than 3 years after the date of the initial election or at such other
3times as the department may prescribe by rule by providing notice of that
4withdrawal to the department not less than 30 days before the expiration date of the
5election.
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(c) To receive family or medical leave insurance benefits, a covered individual
7shall file a claim for those benefits within such time and in such manner as the
8department may prescribe by rule. On receipt of a claim for family or medical leave
9insurance benefits, the department may request from the claimant's employer such
10information as may be necessary for the department to determine the claimant's
11eligibility for those benefits and the amount and duration of those benefits, and the
12employer shall provide that information to the department within such time and in
13such manner as the department may prescribe by rule. If the department determines
14that a claimant is eligible to receive family or medical leave insurance benefits, the
15department shall provide those benefits to the claimant as provided in subs. (3) to
16(5).
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17(3) Amount of benefits. (a) Subject to par. (b), the amount of family or medical
18leave insurance benefits for a week of leave for which those benefits are payable is
19as follows:
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1. For a covered individual who earned less than 30 percent of the state annual
21median wage in the calendar year before the individual's application year, 95 percent
22of that individual's average weekly earnings.
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2. For a covered individual who earned at least 30 percent, but less than 50
24percent, of the state annual median wage in the calendar year before the individual's
25application year, 90 percent of that individual's average weekly earnings.
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13. For a covered individual who earned at least 50 percent, but less than 80
2percent, of the state annual median wage in the calendar year before the individual's
3application year, 85 percent of that individual's average weekly earnings.
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4. For a covered individual who earned at least 80 percent of the state annual
5median wage in the calendar year before the individual's application year, 66 percent
6of that individual's average weekly earnings.
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(b) The amount of family or medical leave insurance benefits for a fractional
8week of leave for which those benefits are payable is one-seventh of the covered
9individual's weekly benefit amount under par. (a) multiplied by the number of days
10of leave taken that week. Family or medical leave insurance benefits are not payable
11for a period of leave of less than one day in duration.
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12(4) Duration of benefits. (a) The maximum number of weeks for which family
13or medical leave insurance benefits are payable in an application year is 12 weeks.
14A covered individual may take family or medical leave continuously or, at the option
15of the covered individual, intermittently or on a reduced leave schedule, except that
16a covered individual may not take family or medical leave intermittently or on a
17reduced leave schedule for more than 24 consecutive weeks unless the leave is for a
18reason specified in sub. (1) (L) or s. 103.10 (3) (b) 3. and the covered individual shows
19that the leave is medically necessary. If a covered individual who is employed intends
20to take family or medical leave intermittently or on a reduced leave schedule, the
21covered individual shall make a reasonable effort to schedule that leave so as not to
22unduly disrupt the operations of his or her employer and shall provide the employer
23with prior notice of that leave in a reasonable and practicable manner.
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(b) 1. Except as provided in subd. 2., no family or medical leave insurance
25benefits are payable for the first 5 calendar days in an application year for which a
1covered individual is eligible for those benefits. Except as provided in subd. 2., family
2or medical leave insurance benefits are payable beginning on the 6th calendar day
3in an application year for which a covered individual is eligible for those benefits.
4The first payment of family or medical leave insurance benefits shall be made no
5later than 2 weeks after a covered individual files a claim for those benefits and
6subsequent payments shall be made no less often than semimonthly.
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2. If a covered individual uses 10 or more days of family or medical leave
8insurance benefits in an application year, those benefits shall also be payable with
9respect to the covered individual's waiting period. An employer may not require a
10covered individual to use paid or unpaid leave of any other type provided by the
11employer during the covered individual's waiting period.
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12(5) Coordination of benefits. (a) If family or medical leave for which benefits
13are payable under this section also qualifies as family or medical leave under s.
14103.10 (3) (b) or (4) (a) or
29 USC 2612 (a) (1), the family or medical leave for which
15those benefits are payable shall run concurrently with the family or medical leave
16under s. 103.10 (3) (b) or (4) (a) or
29 USC 2612 (a) (1).
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(b) No collective bargaining agreement or employer policy may diminish or
18abridge an employee's rights under this section. Any agreement purporting to waive
19or modify an employee's rights under this section is void as against public policy and
20unenforceable.
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(c) Nothing in this section prohibits an employer from providing employees
22with rights to family or medical leave insurance benefits that are more generous to
23the employee than the rights provided under this section.
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1(6) Tax treatment of benefits. (a)
State income tax. Family or medical leave
2insurance benefits received under this section are exempt from state income taxation
3under s. 71.05 (6) (b) 53.
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(b)
Federal income tax. With respect to the federal income taxation of family
5or medical leave insurance benefits, the department shall do all of the following:
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1. At the time an individual files a claim for those benefits, advise the
7individual that those benefits are subject to federal income taxation, that
8requirements exist under federal law pertaining to estimated tax payments, and
9that the individual may elect to have federal income taxes withheld from the
10individual's benefit payments and may change that election not more than one time
11in an application year.
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2. Permit the individual to elect to have federal income tax deducted and
13withheld from the individual's benefit payments, permit the individual to change
14that election not more than one time in an application year, and deduct and withhold
15that tax in accordance with the individual's election as provided under
26 USC 3402.
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3. Upon making a deduction under subd. 2., transfer the amount deducted from
17the family and medical leave insurance trust fund to the federal internal revenue
18service.
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4. In deducting and withholding federal income taxes from an individual's
20benefit payments, follow all procedures specified by the federal internal revenue
21service pertaining to the deducting and withholding of federal income tax.
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22(7) Family and medical leave insurance trust fund. Each employee and each
23self-employed individual who elects coverage under sub. (2) (b) shall contribute to
24the family and medical leave insurance trust fund a percentage of his or her wages
25from employment or income from self-employment determined by the department
1under this subsection. In determining that percentage, the department shall consult
2with the commissioner of insurance, who shall recommend a percentage that is
3sufficient to finance the payment of benefits under sub. (2) (c) and the administration
4of the family and medical leave insurance program under this section. The
5department shall collect those contributions from employers and self-employed
6individuals who elect coverage under sub. (2) (b) in the same manner as the
7department collects contributions to the unemployment reserve fund under ss.
8108.17 and 108.18. Section 108.10 applies to issues regarding liability of employers
9for contributions under this subsection. Contributions received under this
10subsection shall be deposited in the family and medical leave insurance trust fund
11and credited to the appropriation account under s. 20.445 (1) (w).
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12(8) Denial of claims; overpayments. (a) An individual whose claim for family
13or medical leave insurance benefits is denied by the department may request a
14hearing on the denial, and the department shall process the request for a hearing in
15the same manner that requests for hearings on unemployment insurance claims are
16processed under s. 108.09.
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(b) If the department pays family or medical leave insurance benefits
18erroneously or as a result of willful misrepresentation, the department may seek
19repayment of those benefits in the same manner that the department recovers
20erroneous payments of unemployment insurance benefits under ss. 108.095, 108.22
21(8), and 108.225. The department may waive recovery of an erroneous payment of
22family or medical leave insurance benefits if the erroneous payment was not the fault
23of the person who received it and if requiring repayment would be contrary to equity
24and good conscience. If an individual willfully makes a false statement or
25representation, or willfully fails to disclose a material fact, to obtain family or
1medical leave insurance benefits under this section, the individual is disqualified
2from receiving those benefits for one year after the date of the disqualification.
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3(9) Prohibited acts. (a) No person may interfere with, restrain, or deny the
4exercise of any right provided under this section.
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(b) No person may discharge or otherwise discriminate against any person for
6exercising any right provided under this section, opposing a practice prohibited
7under this section, filing a complaint or attempting to enforce any right provided
8under this section, or testifying or assisting in any action or proceeding to enforce any
9right provided under this section.
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10(10) Enforcement. (a) Any person who believes that his or her rights under
11this section have been interfered with, restrained, or denied in violation of sub. (9)
12(a) or that he or she has been discharged or otherwise discriminated against in
13violation of sub. (9) (b) may, within 30 days after the violation occurs or the person
14should reasonably have known that the violation occurred, whichever is later, file a
15complaint with the department alleging the violation, and the department shall
16process the complaint in the same manner as complaints filed under s. 103.10 (12)
17(b) are processed. If the department finds that an employer has violated sub. (9) (a)
18or (b), the department may order the employer to take action to remedy the violation,
19including providing the requested family or medical leave, reinstating an employee,
20providing back pay accrued not more than 2 years before the complaint was filed, and
21paying reasonable actual attorney fees to the complainant. Section 111.322 (2m)
22applies to a discharge or other discriminatory act arising in connection with any
23proceeding under this paragraph.
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(b) After the completion of an administrative proceeding under par. (a),
25including judicial review, an employee or the department may bring an action in
1circuit court against an employer to recover damages caused by a violation of sub. (9)
2(a) or (b). Section 103.10 (13) (b) applies to the commencement of an action under this
3paragraph.
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4(11) Administration. The department shall administer the family and medical
5leave insurance program under this section. In administering that program, the
6department shall do all of the following:
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(a) Establish procedures and forms for the filing of claims for benefits under
8this section.
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(b) Promulgate rules to implement this section. Those rules shall maintain
10consistency with the regulations specified in
29 CFR Part 825 and the rules
11promulgated by the department to implement s. 103.10 to the extent that those
12regulations and rules do not conflict with this section.
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(c) Use information sharing and integration technology to facilitate the
14exchange of information as necessary for the department to perform its duties under
15this section. Notwithstanding s. 19.35 (1), individual personal information
16maintained by the department under this section is confidential and not open to
17public inspection and copying and may be disclosed only as follows:
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1. On the request of the individual who is the subject of the information or the
19individual's authorized representative, to the individual or representative.
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2. With the written permission of the individual who is the subject of the
21information or the individual's authorized representative, to a person named in the
22permission.
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3. To a public employee for use in the performance of the public employee's
24official duties.
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14. Under a court order or an order of a hearing examiner that is obtained upon
2prior notice to the department and a showing to the court or hearing examiner that
3the information is relevant to a pending court or administrative action.
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(d) Conduct a public outreach campaign to inform employers, employees,
5self-employed individuals, and other covered individuals regarding the family and
6medical leave insurance program under this section. Information provided under
7this paragraph shall be provided in English and in any other language customarily
8spoken by more than 20 percent of the population of this state.
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(e) By September 1 of each year, submit a report to the governor, the joint
10committee on finance, and the appropriate standing committees of the legislature
11under s. 13.172 (3) on the family and medical leave insurance program under this
12section. The report shall include the projected and actual rates of participation in
13the program, the premium rates for coverage under the program, the balance in the
14family and medical leave insurance trust fund under s. 25.52, and a description of
15the department's outreach efforts under par. (d).
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16(12) Notice posted. Each employer shall post, on its Internet site and in one
17or more conspicuous places where notices to employees are customarily posted, a
18notice in a form approved by the department setting forth employees' rights under
19this section. Any employer that violates this subsection shall forfeit not more than
20$100 for each violation.
SB385,29
21Section
29. 111.322 (2m) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
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111.322
(2m) (a) The individual files a complaint or attempts to enforce any
23right under s. 103.02, 103.10,
103.11, 103.13, 103.28, 103.32, 103.34, 103.455,
24103.50, 104.12, 109.03, 109.07, 109.075, 146.997, or 995.55, or ss. 101.58 to 101.599
25or 103.64 to 103.82.
SB385,30
1Section
30. 111.322 (2m) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:
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111.322
(2m) (b) The individual testifies or assists in any action or proceeding
3held under or to enforce any right under s. 103.02, 103.10,
103.11, 103.13, 103.28,
4103.32, 103.34, 103.455, 103.50, 104.12, 109.03, 109.07, 109.075, 146.997, or 995.55,
5or ss. 101.58 to 101.599 or 103.64 to 103.82.
SB385,31
6Section
31
.
0Nonstatutory provisions.
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(1)
Proposed permanent rules. The department of workforce development
8shall submit in proposed form the rules required under section 103.11 (11) (b) of the
9statutes, as created by this act, to the legislative council staff under section 227.15
10(1) of the statutes no later than the first day of the 4th month beginning after the
11effective date of this subsection.
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(2)
Rule-making exceptions for permanent rules.
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(a) Notwithstanding section 227.135 (2) of the statutes, the department of
14workforce development is not required to present the statement of the scope of the
15rules required under section 103.11 (11) (b) of the statutes, as created by this act, to
16the governor for approval.
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(b) Notwithstanding section 227.185 of the statutes, the department of
18workforce development is not required to present the rules required under section
19103.11 (11) (b) of the statutes, as created by this act, in final draft form to the governor
20for approval.
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(c) Notwithstanding section 227.137 (2) of the statutes, the department of
22workforce development is not required to prepare an economic impact analysis for
23the rules required under section 103.11 (11) (b) of the statutes, as created by this act.
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(d) Notwithstanding sections 227.14 (2g) and 227.19 (3) (e) of the statutes, the
25department of workforce development is not required to submit the proposed rules
1required under section 103.11 (11) (b) of the statutes, as created by this act, to the
2small business regulatory review board and is not required to prepare a final
3regulatory flexibility analysis for those rules.
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(3)
Emergency rules. Using the procedure under section 227.24 of the statutes,
5the department of workforce development shall promulgate the rules required under
6section 103.11 (11) (b) of the statutes, as created by this act, for the period before the
7effective date of the permanent rules promulgated under section 103.11 (11) (b) of the
8statutes, as created by this act, but not to exceed the period authorized under section
9227.24 (1) (c) of the statutes, subject to extension under section 227.24 (2) of the
10statutes. Notwithstanding section 227.24 (1) (a), (2) (b), and (3) of the statutes, the
11department is not required to provide evidence that promulgating a rule under this
12subsection as an emergency rule is necessary for the preservation of public peace,
13health, safety, or welfare and is not required to provide a finding of an emergency for
14a rule promulgated under this subsection. Notwithstanding section 227.24 (1) (e) 1d.
15and 1g. of the statutes, the department is not required to prepare a statement of the
16scope of the rules promulgated under this subsection or present the rules to the
17governor for approval.
SB385,32
18Section
32.
Initial applicability.
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(1)
Family and medical leave insurance trust fund contributions. Except as
20provided in subsection (3), the treatment of section 103.11 (7) of the statutes first
21applies to wages earned on January 1, 2019.
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(2)
Family or medical leave insurance benefits eligibility. Except as provided
23in subsection (3), the treatment of section 103.11 (2) (a) and (c) of the statutes first
24applies to a period of family leave, as defined in section 103.11 (1) (h) of the statutes,
1as created by this act, or a period of medical leave, as defined in section 103.11 (1) (L)
2of the statutes, as created by this act, commencing on January 1, 2020.
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(3)
Collective bargaining agreements. This act first applies to an employee
4who is affected by a collective bargaining agreement that contains provisions
5inconsistent with this act on the day on which the collective bargaining agreement
6expires or is extended, modified, or renewed.