WI
Wisconsin Assembly Bill AB162

Wisconsin 2025-2026 Regular Session

Wisconsin Assembly Bill AB162 Compare Versions

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11 2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
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44 2025 ASSEMBLY BILL 162
55 April 8, 2025 - Introduced by Representatives ARMSTRONG, O'CONNOR, BROOKS,
66 DITTRICH, GREEN, KNODL, KREIBICH, MURPHY and PENTERMAN, cosponsored
77 by Senator FEYEN. Referred to Committee on Workforce Development, Labor,
88 and Integrated Employment.
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1010 ***AUTHORS SUBJECT TO CHANGE***
1111 AN ACT to renumber and amend 106.11; to amend 106.11 (title) and 109.07
1212 (1m) (a); to create 106.11 (1) (title) and (2) of the statutes; relating to:
1313 workforce metrics.
1414 Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
1515 This bill requires any state agency or authority that operates, coordinates, or
1616 oversees a workforce development program or activity, as defined in the bill, to
1717 track and report, at least annually, on the performance of that workforce
1818 development program or activity, using the primary indicators of performance
1919 under the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. These performance
2020 indicators are: 1) the percentage of program participants who are in unsubsidized
2121 employment during the second quarter after exit from the program; 2) the
2222 percentage of program participants who are in unsubsidized employment during
2323 the fourth quarter after exit from the program; 3) the median earnings of program
2424 participants who are in unsubsidized employment during the second quarter after
2525 exit from the program; 4) the percentage of program participants who obtain a
2626 recognized postsecondary credential, or a secondary school diploma or its
2727 recognized equivalent during participation in or within one year after exit from the
2828 program; 5) the percentage of program participants who, during a program year,
2929 are in an education or training program that leads to a recognized postsecondary
3030 credential or employment and who are achieving measurable skill gains toward
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3838 such a credential or employment; and 6) the indicators of effectiveness in serving
3939 employers, defined currently as the percentage of participants in unsubsidized
4040 employment during the second quarter after exit from the program who were
4141 employed by the same employer in the second and fourth quarters after exit.
4242 For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as
4343 an appendix to this bill.
4444 The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
4545 enact as follows:
4646 SECTION 1. 106.11 (title) of the statutes is amended to read:
4747 106.11 (title) Workforce investment programs; metrics.
4848 SECTION 2. 106.11 of the statutes is renumbered 106.11 (1) (a) and amended
4949 to read:
5050 106.11 (1) (a) The department shall cooperate with the federal government in
5151 carrying out the purposes of the federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998, 29 USC
5252 2801 to 2945 Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, 29 USC 3101 to 3361. In
5353 administering the programs authorized by that act, the department shall, in
5454 cooperation with other state agencies and with local workforce development boards
5555 established under 29 USC 2832 3122, establish a statewide workforce investment
5656 system to meet the employment, training, and educational needs of persons in this
5757 state.
5858 (b) If a local workforce development board anticipates that there may be a
5959 business closing or mass layoff under s. 109.07 in the area served by that board, the
6060 board may prepare a list of resources available in that area that provide career
6161 planning, job search, job skills training, and other support services for affected
6262 employees, as defined in s. 109.07 (1) (a), including contact information for those
6363 resources, for distribution to those employees under s. 109.07 (1m) (a).
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8686 SECTION 3. 106.11 (1) (title) and (2) of the statutes are created to read:
8787 106.11 (1) (title) WORKFORCE INVESTMENT.
8888 (2) WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT METRICS. (a) In this subsection:
8989 1. XWorkforce development program or activityY means any program or
9090 coordinated activities funded in whole or in part by the state, whether by using
9191 state or federal funds, that does any of the following within this state:
9292 a. Promotes or provides job training or work readiness services.
9393 b. Assists individuals with looking for wage-earning work in this state.
9494 c. Assists with or otherwise facilitates job placement within the state.
9595 2. XWorkforce development program or activityY includes all of the following,
9696 in addition to what is specified under subd. 1.:
9797 a. The Transform Milwaukee Jobs program and Transitional Jobs programs
9898 under s. 49.163.
9999 b. The department of corrections[ initiatives to reintegrate offenders into the
100100 community.
101101 c. The employment and training program administered by the department of
102102 children and families under s. 49.79 (9).
103103 d. The Wisconsin Works program administered by the department of children
104104 and families under ss. 49.141 to 49.161.
105105 e. Any workforce development program or activity funded, whether directly or
106106 indirectly, by the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, P.L. 117-2.
107107 (b) 1. Any state agency or authority that operates, coordinates, or oversees a
108108 workforce development program or activity shall, subject to subd. 3., track and
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136136 report on the performance of the workforce development program or activity, using
137137 all of the following primary indicators of performance:
138138 a. The percentage of program or activity participants who are in unsubsidized
139139 employment during the 2nd quarter after exit from the program or activity.
140140 b. The percentage of program or activity participants who are in unsubsidized
141141 employment during the 4th quarter after exit from the program or activity.
142142 c. The median earnings of program participants who are in unsubsidized
143143 employment during the 2nd quarter after exit from the program.
144144 d. The percentage of program or activity participants who obtain a recognized
145145 postsecondary credential, or a secondary school diploma or its recognized
146146 equivalent, during participation in or within one year after exit from the program
147147 or activity. For purposes of this subd. 1. d., program or activity participants who
148148 obtain a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent shall be included in
149149 the percentage counted as meeting the criterion only if such participants, in
150150 addition to obtaining such diploma or its recognized equivalent, have obtained or
151151 retained employment or are in an education or training program leading to a
152152 recognized postsecondary credential within one year after exit from the program or
153153 activity.
154154 e. The percentage of program participants who, during a program year, are in
155155 an education or training program that leads to a recognized postsecondary
156156 credential or employment and who are achieving measurable skill gains toward
157157 such a credential or employment.
158158 f. The percentage of participants in unsubsidized employment during the 2nd
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186186 quarter after exit from the program or activity who were employed by the same
187187 employer in the 2nd and 4th quarters after exit.
188188 2. Any state agency or authority that is required to perform the tracking and
189189 reporting under subd. 1. shall publish the data through a single, state-maintained
190190 website.
191191 3. A state agency is not required to do any of the following under subds. 1. and
192192 2.:
193193 a. Report data on minors.
194194 b. Report on the performance of a workforce development program or activity
195195 to the extent that such reporting would violate confidentiality requirements under
196196 federal law.
197197 4. The agency shall make or update the report required under subd. 1. at least
198198 annually and shall submit reports to the appropriate standing committees of the
199199 legislature under s. 13.172 (3).
200200 (c) The department shall assist state agencies to comply with par. (b).
201201 SECTION 4. 109.07 (1m) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
202202 109.07 (1m) (a) Subject to sub. (5) or (6), an employer that has decided upon a
203203 business closing or mass layoff in this state shall promptly notify the subunit of the
204204 department that administers s. 106.15, any affected employee, any collective
205205 bargaining representative of any affected employee, and the highest official of any
206206 municipality in which the affected employment site is located, in writing of such
207207 action no later than 60 days prior to the date on which the business closing or mass
208208 layoff takes place. The notice to an affected employee shall also include contact
209209 information for the local workforce development board under 29 USC 2832 serving
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238238 the area in which the employment site is located and, if available, the list of
239239 resources prepared under s. 106.11 (1) (b). The employer shall provide in writing all
240240 information concerning its payroll, affected employees, and the wages and other
241241 remuneration owed to those employees as the department may require. The
242242 department may in addition require the employer to submit a plan setting forth the
243243 manner in which final payment in full shall be made to affected employees.
244244 (END)
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