Legislation that would make significant changes to Wisconsin’s unemployment insurance program has been recommended for passage by the Assembly Committee on Workforce Development.
Legislation that would make significant changes to Wisconsin’s unemployment insurance program has been recommended for passage by the Assembly Committee on Workforce Development.
- Assembly Bill 147 would provide important updates to the misconduct statute, creates legislative oversight of enhanced federal benefits, and improves the monitoring of the requirements for work search.
- Assembly Bill 149 would respond to a common concern from small business employers that too often applicants for jobs fail to show for interviews or report for work when hired.
- Assembly Bill 150 would create a reemployment program to assist claimants with job searches, career counseling and connecting unemployed workers with job opportunities.
- Assembly Bill 152 would improve participation in the labor market by allowing some flexibility and improving the administration of benefits, especially during periods of high employment.
- Assembly Bill 153 would create a linkage between unemployment insurance benefits and current economic conditions.
According to the authors, these bills will provide unemployed individuals with incentives and encouragement to join or return to the workforce, while also responding to the worker shortage.
Representative Alex Dallman (Green Lake) said “These bills will move our focus of public benefits from unemployment insurance to reemployment insurance. In the economic climate we have right now there is no reason to need a half of a year to procure a high paying, quality job.”
NFIB’s State Director, Bill G. Smith, testified before the committee, “The unemployment insurance program is not a welfare program. It provides timely financial assistance to unemployed workers, but it was never intended, nor should it provide a disincentive for individuals from seeking and obtaining employment.”
NFIB members are urged to contact their elected representatives to request support for passage of the UI Reform Package.
