LRB-5460/1
MPG&AJM:amn
2017 - 2018 LEGISLATURE
February 12, 2018 - Introduced by Senator Testin, cosponsored by Representative
Skowronski. Referred to Committee on Workforce Development, Military
Affairs and Senior Issues.
SB795,1,5 1An Act to amend 102.475 (1), 230.45 (1) (d), 321.65 (3) (a) (intro.), 321.65 (3) (a)
21., 321.65 (3) (a) 4. and 321.65 (3) (f) 1.; and to create 20.465 (1) (dm), 321.67
3and 321.68 of the statutes; relating to: reemployment rights, death benefits,
4and continuation pay benefits of national guard and state defense force
5members on state active duty and making an appropriation.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill makes the following changes to laws administered by the Department
of Military Affairs:
1. Requires DMA to continue paying a member of the national guard or state
defense force who is injured in the performance of his or her duties while on state
active duty. Continuation of pay for a member is at a rate equal to the rate of pay
the member was receiving at the time of the injury. The bill provides that a member
may receive continuation of pay only until the member is able to return to state active
duty or the member's state active duty is terminated. Under the bill, the Department
of Administration administers the continuation of pay for injured members of the
national guard and state defense force in the same manner DOA administers
continuation of pay for state employees.
2. Requires that DMA pay a death gratuity in the amount of $100,000 to the
designated beneficiary of a member of the national guard or state defense force who
dies from an accidental injury while performing services growing out of and
incidental to the member's employment on state active duty. Current law provides

that the Department of Workforce Development pay a special death benefit, in an
amount not less than $50,000, to the dependents of a member of the national guard
or state defense force who dies from an accidental injury while performing services
growing out of and incidental to the member's service on state active duty. Under the
bill, DWD does not pay that special death benefit for national guard or state defense
force members.
3. Extends eligibility for reemployment rights of individuals returning from
active state service to non-state residents and to individuals whose active state
service occurred in a territory of the United States. Current law affords such
reemployment rights for state residents whose active state service occurred in this
or another state.
For further information see the state 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:
SB795,1 1Section 1. 20.465 (1) (dm) of the statutes is created to read:
SB795,2,32 20.465 (1) (dm) Death gratuity. A sum sufficient to defray all expenditures for
3payment of the death gratuity under s. 321.67.
SB795,2 4Section 2. 102.475 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB795,3,25 102.475 (1) Special benefit. If the deceased employee is a law enforcement
6officer, correctional officer, fire fighter, rescue squad member, diving team member,
7national guard member or state defense force member on state active duty as
8described in s. 102.07 (9)
or if a deceased person is an employee or volunteer
9performing emergency management activities under ch. 323 during a state of
10emergency or a circumstance described in s. 323.12 (2) (c), who sustained an
11accidental injury while performing services growing out of and incidental to that
12employment or volunteer activity so that benefits are payable under s. 102.46 or
13102.47 (1), the department shall voucher and pay from the appropriation under s.
1420.445 (1) (aa) a sum equal to 75 percent of the primary death benefit as of the date
15of death, but not less than $50,000 to the persons wholly dependent upon the

1deceased. For purposes of this subsection, dependency shall be determined under ss.
2102.49 and 102.51.
SB795,3 3Section 3. 230.45 (1) (d) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB795,3,44 230.45 (1) (d) Hear appeals under s. ss. 230.36 (4) and 321.68 (4).
SB795,4 5Section 4. 321.65 (3) (a) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB795,3,96 321.65 (3) (a) Prerequisites. (intro.) Subject to par. (d), any person who is a
7resident of this state and
absent from a position of employment because of active
8state service is entitled to the reemployment rights and benefits specified in this
9section if all of the following apply:
SB795,5 10Section 5. 321.65 (3) (a) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:
SB795,3,1311 321.65 (3) (a) 1. Except as provided in par. (b), the person or an appropriate
12officer in the national guard of this or another state or the state defense force
has
13given advanced notice of the active state service to the person's employer.
SB795,6 14Section 6. 321.65 (3) (a) 4. of the statutes is amended to read:
SB795,3,1715 321.65 (3) (a) 4. In the case of active state service in the national guard in this
16or another state or territory of the United States or the state defense force, the active
17state service has not been terminated under other than honorable conditions.
SB795,7 18Section 7. 321.65 (3) (f) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:
SB795,4,219 321.65 (3) (f) 1. A person who submits an application for reemployment under
20par. (e) 2. or 3. must, on the request of the person's employer, provide to the employer
21documentation to establish that the application was submitted within the time
22limits specified in par. (e) 2. or 3., that the person's cumulative length of all absences
23from employment with the employer because of active state service and federal active
24duty does not, except as permitted under par. (c), exceed 5 years, and, in the case of
25active state service in the national guard in this or another state or territory of the

1United States or
the state defense force, that the person's service was not terminated
2under other than honorable conditions.
SB795,8 3Section 8. 321.67 of the statutes is created to read:
SB795,4,9 4321.67 Death gratuity; national guard and state defense force. If a
5national guard member or state defense force member dies from an accidental injury
6while performing services growing out of and incidental to the member's
7employment while the member is on state active duty, the department shall voucher
8and pay from the appropriation under s. 20.465 (1) (dm) an amount equal to
9$100,000, to the member's designated beneficiary.
SB795,9 10Section 9. 321.68 of the statutes is created to read:
SB795,4,12 11321.68 Continuation of payment. (1) In this section, “injury” means a
12mental or physical harm.
SB795,4,14 13(2) The department of administration shall administer this section in the same
14manner it administers s. 230.36.
SB795,4,18 15(3) (a) If a member of the national guard or state defense force suffers injury
16in the performance of his or her duties while on state active duty, the member shall
17continue to be fully paid under s. 321.35 or 321.51 upon the same basis as paid prior
18to the injury.
SB795,4,2319 (b) The full pay under par. (a) shall continue while the member is unable to
20return to active duty as the result of the injury or until the termination of his or her
21state active duty. At any time during the member's period of disability the
22department may, at the department's expense, order physical or medical
23examinations to determine the degree of disability.
SB795,4,25 24(4) A member denied benefits under this section may appeal to the employment
25relations commission under s. 230.45 (1) (d).
SB795,5,3
1(5) The department is entitled to the right of subrogation for payments made
2under this section to the same extent an employing agency is entitled to the right of
3subrogation under s. 230.36 (5).
SB795,10 4Section 10. Initial applicability.
SB795,5,75 (1) Disability or death payments. The treatment of sections 321.67 and 321.68
6of the statutes first applies to an injury occurring on the effective date of this
7subsection.
SB795,5,88 (End)
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