AB938: Bill Text

AB938,12 Section 12 . 108.14 (23m) of the statutes is created to read:

AB938,9,24 108.14 (23m) The department shall provide training materials on the unemployment insurance system, including all of the following:

AB938,10,2 (a) Training videos for claimants and employing units published on the department's Internet site.

AB938,10,4 (b) Quarterly, free, live training seminars for employing units. The seminars may be in-person, online, or both.

AB938,13 Section 13 . 108.14 (29) of the statutes is created to read:

AB938,10,8 108.14 (29) (a) The department shall maintain a call center to provide telephone assistance and support to claimants for benefits under this chapter or payments under federal assistance programs for unemployment.

AB938,10,11 (b) The department shall, during each of the following periods, extend the call center hours to include hours after 5 p.m. on weekdays and at least 16 hours on weekends:

AB938,10,13 1. During a declared statewide emergency that causes or relates to an increase in unemployment claims.

AB938,10,16 2. For 90 days after any week in which the call center experiences an increase of at least 300 percent in calls compared to the same week during the previous year, and for 90 days after each subsequent week in which such an increase occurs.

AB938,14 Section 14 . 108.14 (30) of the statutes is created to read:

AB938,10,20 108.14 (30) (a) The department shall, on at least a weekly basis, perform a comparison of recipients of benefits under this chapter against all of the following for the purpose of detecting fraud or erroneous payments:

AB938,10,22 1. Nationally recognized databases that contain information on death records, including the federal social security administration's death master file.

AB938,10,23 2. The National Association of State Workforce Agencies' integrity data hub.

AB938,10,25 3. The national directory of new hires maintained by the office of child support enforcement in the U.S. department of health and human services.

AB938,11,2 4. Prisoner databases maintained by the department of justice, the department of corrections, and the U.S. department of justice.

AB938,11,5 (b) The department may perform comparisons of recipients of benefits under this chapter against public or private databases other than those specified in par. (a) 1. to 4.

AB938,15 Section 15 . Nonstatutory provisions.

AB938,11,11 (1) The department of workforce development shall submit a notice to the legislative reference bureau for publication in the Wisconsin Administrative Register when the department determines that the department has any rules in place that are necessary to implement the renumbering and amendment of s. 108.04 (2) (a) 4. and the creation of s. 108.04 (2) (a) 4. d. by this act.

AB938,11,19 (2) The legislative audit bureau shall conduct an audit of the department of workforce development's efforts to detect and prevent fraud and to recover overpayments that occurred as a result of fraud in the unemployment insurance program under ch. 108, the federal pandemic unemployment assistance program under 15 USC 9021, and the federal pandemic emergency unemployment compensation program under 15 USC 9025. The legislative audit bureau shall file a report on the audit conducted under this subsection in the manner described under s. 13.94 (1) (b).

AB938,11,21 (3) (a) In this subsection, “allowable period” means the period described in par. (c).

AB938,12,7 (b) During the allowable period, the secretary of administration may transfer any employee to the department of workforce development from any other state agency to provide services for the department of workforce development that are needed to hear and decide appeals under s. 108.09 (4). Such an employee may, notwithstanding s. 108.09 (3) (a), serve as an appeal tribunal under ss. 108.09 to 108.10, subject to approval of the secretary of workforce development. The department of workforce development shall pay all salary and fringe benefit costs of the employee during the time he or she is providing services for the department of workforce development. Any action by the secretary under this paragraph shall remain in effect until rescinded by the secretary or 90 days after the last day of the allowable period, whichever is earliest.

AB938,12,12 (c) A transfer under par. (b) may be made at any time during the period beginning on the effective date of this paragraph and ending on the 120th day after the effective date of this paragraph, except that the joint committee on finance may, upon request of the secretary of administration, extend the period by not more than an additional 120 days.

AB938,12,17 (d) If an employee is transferred under par. (b), the department of workforce development may not increase the employee's salary at the time of transfer or during the time he or she is providing services for the department of workforce development, and the agency from which the employee was transferred may not increase the employee's salary at the time the employee returns to the agency.

AB938,12,24 (e) The secretary of administration shall submit a report to the joint committee on finance, no later than the first day of the 2nd month beginning after the effective date of this paragraph and on the first day of each subsequent month during the allowable period, that provides information on all employee transfers under par. (b). Each report shall specify the number of employees transferred, the title of each employee transferred, the title the employee assumed at the department of workforce development, and the reasons for each employee transfer.

AB938,16 Section 16 . Initial applicability.

AB938,13,3 (1) The renumbering and amendment of s. 108.04 (2) (a) 4. and the creation of s. 108.04 (2) (a) 4. d. first apply with respect to weeks of unemployment beginning on the effective date of this subsection.

AB938,13,7 (2) The renumbering and amendment of s. 108.04 (5) (e), the amendment of s. 108.04 (5) (b), and the creation of s. 108.04 (5) (e) (intro.) and 2. and (h) first apply with respect to determinations issued under s. 108.09 on the effective date of this subsection.

AB938,17 Section 17 . Effective dates. This act takes effect on the Sunday after publication, except as follows:

AB938,13,13 (1) The renumbering and amendment of s. 108.04 (2) (a) 4. and the creation of s. 108.04 (2) (a) 4. d. and Section 16 (1) of this act take effect on the Sunday after the notice under Section 15 (1) of this act is published in the Wisconsin Administrative Register or on January 2, 2022, whichever occurs first.

AB938,13,17 (2) The renumbering and amendment of s. 108.04 (5) (e), the amendment of s. 108.04 (5) (b), and the creation of s. 108.04 (5) (e) (intro.) and 2. and (h) and Section 16 (2 ) of this act take effect on January 2, 2022, or on the first Sunday after the 180th day after publication, whichever occurs later.

AB938,13,18 (End)