108.14(8s)(8s)Notwithstanding s. 108.16 (10), the department may enter into or cooperate in arrangements or reciprocal agreements with authorized agencies of other states or the U.S. secretary of labor, or both, whereby:
108.14(8s)(a)(a) Overpayments of unemployment insurance benefits as determined under this chapter may be recouped from unemployment insurance benefits otherwise payable under the unemployment insurance law of another state, and overpayments of unemployment insurance benefits as determined under the unemployment insurance law of that other state may be recouped from unemployment insurance benefits otherwise payable under this chapter; and
108.14(8s)(b)(b) Overpayments of unemployment insurance benefits as determined under applicable federal law, with respect to benefits or allowances for unemployment provided under a federal program administered by this state under an agreement with the U.S. secretary of labor, may be recouped from unemployment insurance benefits otherwise payable under that program, or under the unemployment insurance law of this state or of another state or any such federal unemployment benefit or allowance program administered by the other state under an agreement with the U.S. secretary of labor if the other state has in effect a reciprocal agreement with the U.S. secretary of labor as authorized by 42 USC 503 (g) (2), if the United States agrees, as provided in the reciprocal agreement with this state entered into under 42 USC 503 (g) (2), that overpayments of unemployment insurance benefits as determined under this chapter, and overpayments as determined under the unemployment insurance law of another state which has in effect a reciprocal agreement with the U.S. secretary of labor as authorized by 42 USC 503 (g) (2), may be recouped from benefits or allowances for unemployment otherwise payable under a federal program administered by this state or the other state under an agreement with the U.S. secretary of labor.
108.14(8t)(8t)If the agency administering another unemployment insurance law has overpaid benefits to an individual located in Wisconsin, and certifies to the department the facts involved and that the individual is liable, under such law, to repay such benefits, and requests the department to recover such overpayment, and agrees to reimburse the department for any court costs incurred by it in such recovery efforts, the department may in its own name, but acting as agent for such other agency, collect such overpayment by civil action, and shall pay the net amount recovered to such other agency.
108.14(9)(9)The department may make its records relating to the administration of this chapter available to the Railroad Retirement Board, and may furnish the Railroad Retirement Board, at the expense of said board, such copies thereof as said board deems necessary for its purposes. The department may afford reasonable cooperation with every agency of the United States charged with the administration of any unemployment insurance law. The department may make arrangements or agreements with the Railroad Retirement Board, or any other agency of the United States charged with the administration of an unemployment insurance law, with respect to the establishment, maintenance and use of free employment service facilities, the taking and certifying of claims, the making of investigations, and the supplying of other information or services related to unemployment insurance, but the department may not make or renew any such arrangement or agreement unless it finds that its resulting administrative costs are approximately covered or offset by the facilities, services and payments to be made available thereunder by such federal agency. Any moneys received by the department under this subsection shall be paid into the federal administrative financing account under s. 108.161.
108.14(9m)(9m)The department may afford reasonable cooperation with any government agency charged with war-effort or post-war planning responsibilities or with the administration of any system of unemployment allowances or unemployment assistance or of any other program designed to prevent or relieve unemployment. All moneys payable to or received by this state for any program of allowances pursuant to an agreement with any government or nonprofit agency, whereby moneys are made available to the state solely for that purpose, shall be paid to the state and shall promptly be deposited by the department to the credit of a separate account therefor, with such custodians as the state may from time to time select, who shall hold, release and transfer the cash in any such account in a manner approved by the department of administration. Payments from any such account shall be made upon vouchers or drafts authorized by the department, in such manner as the department of administration may from time to time approve or prescribe. The treasurer of the unemployment reserve fund shall serve as treasurer of any account under this subsection. The bond of the treasurer, as required under ss. 19.01 (2) and 108.16 (4), shall likewise be conditioned upon the faithful performance of the duties under this subsection by the treasurer and the treasurer’s subordinates, in such additional amount as may be fixed by the department. The treasurer shall report annually to the department of administration regarding receipts and disbursements under this subsection.
108.14(10)(10)The department shall comply with requirements of the U.S. secretary of labor to determine the degree of accuracy and timeliness in the administration of this chapter with respect to benefit payments, benefit determinations and revenue collections.
108.14(11)(11)The department may require any employing unit which employs one or more individuals to perform work in this state to make such arrangements as will reasonably assure the department that the employing unit will keep such records, make such reports, and pay such contributions as are required under this chapter. Any employing unit which the department has notified, through notice served on it or sent by registered mail to its last-known address or served by publishing a notice under s. 180.1510 (4) (b), that it is required to make such arrangements and which fails to do so within 20 days after such notification may, through proceedings instituted by the department in the circuit court for Dane County, be restrained from doing business in this state until it has made such arrangements.
108.14(12)(12)
108.14(12)(a)(a) Consistently with the provisions of pars. (8) and (9) of section 303 (a) of Title III of the federal social security act, all moneys received in the federal administrative financing account from any federal agency under said Title III shall be expended solely for the purposes and in the amounts found necessary by said agency for the proper and efficient administration of this chapter.
108.14(12)(b)(b) Consistently with said provisions of said Title III, any such moneys, received prior to July 1, 1941, and remaining unencumbered on said date or received on or after said date, which, because of any action or contingency, have been lost or have been expended for purposes other than, or in amounts in excess of, those found necessary by said agency for the proper administration of this chapter, shall be replaced within a reasonable time. This paragraph is the declared policy of this state, as enunciated by the 1941 legislature, and shall be implemented as further provided in this subsection.
108.14(12)(c)(c) If it is believed that any amount of money thus received has been thus lost or improperly expended, the department on its own motion or on notice from said agency shall promptly investigate and determine the matter and shall, depending on the nature of its determination, take such steps as it may deem necessary to protect the interests of the state.
108.14(12)(d)(d) If it is finally determined that moneys thus received have been thus lost or improperly expended, then the department shall either make the necessary replacement from those moneys in the administrative account specified in s. 108.20 (2m) or shall submit, at the next budget hearings conducted by the governor and at the budget hearings conducted by the next legislature convened in regular session, a request that the necessary replacement be made by an appropriation from the general fund.
108.14(12)(e)(e) This subsection shall not be construed to relieve this state of any obligation existing prior to its enactment with respect to moneys received prior to July 1, 1941, pursuant to said Title III.
108.14(13)(13)The department may, with the advice of the council on unemployment insurance, by general rule modify or suspend any provision of this chapter if and to the extent necessary to permit continued certification of this chapter for grants to this state under Title III of the federal social security act and for maximum credit allowances to employers under the federal unemployment tax act.
108.14(14)(14)The department shall fully cooperate with the agencies of other states, and shall make every proper effort within its means, to oppose and prevent any further action which would in its judgment tend to effect complete or substantial federalization of state unemployment insurance funds or state employment security programs.
108.14(15)(15)The department may make, and may cooperate with other appropriate agencies in making, studies as to the practicality and probable cost of possible new state-administered social security programs, and the relative desirability of state, rather than national, action in any such field.
108.14(16)(16)The department shall have duplicated or printed, and shall distribute without charge, such employment security reports, studies and other materials, including the text of this chapter and instructional or explanatory pamphlets for employers or workers, as it deems necessary for public information or for the proper administration of this chapter; but the department may collect a reasonable charge, which shall be credited to the administrative account, for any such item the cost of which is not fully covered by federal administrative grants.
108.14(17)(17)To help provide suitable quarters for the administration of this chapter at the lowest practicable long-run cost, the department may, with the governor’s approval and subject to all relevant statutory requirements, use part of the moneys available for such administration under s. 20.445 (1) (n) to buy suitable real property, or to help construct suitable quarters on any state-owned land, or for the long-term rental or rental-purchase of suitable land and quarters. In each such case full and proper use shall be made of any federal grants available for the administration of this chapter.
108.14(18)(18)No later than the end of the month following each quarter in which the department expends moneys derived from assessments levied under s. 108.19 (1e), the department shall submit a report to the council on unemployment insurance describing the use of the moneys expended and the status at the end of the quarter of any project for which moneys were expended.
108.14(19)(19)No later than March 15 annually, the department shall prepare and furnish to the council on unemployment insurance a report summarizing the department’s activities related to detection and prosecution of unemployment insurance fraud in the preceding year. The department shall include in the report information about audits conducted by the department under sub. (20), including the number and results of audits performed, in the previous year.
108.14(20)(20)The department shall conduct random audits on claimants for benefits under this chapter to assess compliance with the work search requirements under s. 108.04 (2) (a) 3.
108.14(21)(21)The department shall maintain a portal on the Internet that allows employers to log in and file with the department complaints related to the administration of this chapter.
108.14(22)(22)The commission shall maintain a searchable, electronic database of significant decisions made by the commission on matters under this chapter for the use of attorneys employed by the department and the commission and other individuals employed by the department and the commission whose duties necessitate use of the database.
108.14(23)(23)
108.14(23)(a)(a) The department shall create and periodically update a handbook for the purpose of informing employers that are or may be subject to this chapter about the provisions and requirements of this chapter.
108.14(23)(b)(b) The department shall include all of the following in the handbook:
108.14(23)(b)1.1. Information about the function and purpose of unemployment insurance under this chapter.
108.14(23)(b)2.2. A description of the rights and responsibilities of employers under this chapter, including the rights and responsibilities associated with hearings to determine whether claimants are eligible for benefits under this chapter.