WI
Wisconsin Assembly Bill AB168

Wisconsin 2025-2026 Regular Session

Wisconsin Assembly Bill AB168 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.
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11 2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
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44 2025 ASSEMBLY BILL 168
55 April 8, 2025 - Introduced by Representatives KREIBICH, O'CONNOR, NEDWESKI,
66 GREEN, DUCHOW, MURPHY, KNODL, B. JACOBSON, GUNDRUM and DITTRICH,
77 cosponsored by Senator FEYEN. Referred to Committee on Workforce
88 Development, Labor, and Integrated Employment.
99
1010 ***AUTHORS SUBJECT TO CHANGE***
1111 AN ACT to create 108.14 (10m), 108.14 (23m), 108.14 (28), 108.14 (29), 108.14
1212 (30) and 939.74 (2) (d) of the statutes; relating to: various changes to the
1313 unemployment insurance law.
1414 Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
1515 UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE
1616 This bill makes various changes in the unemployment insurance (UI) law,
1717 which is administered by the Department of Workforce Development. Significant
1818 changes include all of the following:
1919 Identity proofing
2020 The bill requires DWD to implement identity-proofing measures for UI
2121 claimants who are engaging in benefit-related transactions with DWD that 1)
2222 require a claimant to verify his or her identity prior to filing an initial claim for
2323 benefits and when engaging in other transactions with DWD, and 2) achieve the
2424 IAL2 and AAL2 standards adopted in the National Institute of Standards and
2525 Technology[s Digital Identity Guidelines.
2626 Statute of limitations
2727 Under current law, a prosecution for a felony must be commenced within six
2828 years after it was committed. Current law provides several exceptions for certain
2929 felonies, and the bill adds another exception. Under the bill, a prosecution for a
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3636 felony must be commenced within eight years after it was committed if the felony
3737 involves fraud in obtaining UI benefits and benefits under the special
3838 unemployment benefit programs under the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and
3939 Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020.
4040 Education and informational materials
4141 Current law requires DWD to compile and provide to employers certain
4242 information about how the UI system works, including a handbook on the UI
4343 system for employers and information concerning the financing of the UI system
4444 that is published on DWD[s website. The bill requires DWD to also provide certain
4545 training materials for employers and claimants on the UI system. The bill requires
4646 DWD to publish training videos on its website and also to provide live training
4747 seminars for employing units that are free of charge and provided on a quarterly
4848 basis.
4949 Assistance call center
5050 The bill requires DWD to operate a call center to assist claimants for UI
5151 benefits or similar federal payments. Furthermore, the bill requires DWD to do the
5252 following:
5353 1. If the volume of calls has increased by 100 percent or more over the same
5454 week during the previous year or if there is a declared state of emergency for the
5555 state that causes or relates to an increase in UI claims, operate the call center with
5656 hours of at least 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.
5757 2. If the volume of calls has increased by 300 percent or more over the same
5858 week during the previous year or if there is a declared state of emergency for the
5959 state that causes or relates to an increase in UI claims, operate the call center with
6060 evening hours after 5 p.m. and weekend hours.
6161 Database comparisons
6262 The bill requires DWD to perform a comparison of state and national
6363 databases that track death records, employment records, prison records, citizenship
6464 and immigration, and immigrations and customs against recipients of UI benefits
6565 for the purposes of detecting fraud or erroneous payments. The bill requires DWD
6666 to perform the comparison on at least a weekly basis. The bill provides that DWD
6767 may also make such comparisons with other databases.
6868 Fraud detection
6969 The bill requires DWD, if it suspends or reduces any method used by the
7070 department to detect fraud committed against the unemployment insurance
7171 program, to submit a notification detailing the suspension or reduction and the
7272 reasons therefor to the Council on Unemployment Insurance, the Governor, and the
7373 appropriate standing committees of the legislature.
7474 For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be
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7979 SECTION 1
8080 The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
8181 enact as follows:
8282 SECTION 1. 108.14 (10m) of the statutes is created to read:
8383 108.14 (10m) The department shall implement identity-proofing measures
8484 for claimants who are engaging in benefit-related transactions with the department
8585 that satisfy all of the following:
8686 (a) The measures require a claimant to verify his or her identity prior to filing
8787 an initial claim for benefits and when engaging in other transactions with the
8888 department.
8989 (b) The measures achieve the IAL2 and AAL2 standards adopted in the
9090 National Institute of Standards and Technology[s Digital Identity Guidelines.
9191 SECTION 2. 108.14 (23m) of the statutes is created to read:
9292 108.14 (23m) The department shall provide training materials on the
9393 unemployment insurance system, including all of the following:
9494 (a) Training videos for claimants and employing units published on the
9595 department[s website.
9696 (b) Live training seminars for employing units that are free of charge and
9797 provided on a quarterly basis. The seminars may be in-person, online, or both.
9898 SECTION 3. 108.14 (28) of the statutes is created to read:
9999 108.14 (28) If the department suspends or reduces any method used by the
100100 department to detect fraud committed against the unemployment insurance
101101 program under this chapter, the department shall submit a notification detailing
102102 the suspension or reduction and the reasons therefor to the council on
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127127 SECTION 3
128128 unemployment insurance, the governor, and the appropriate standing committees
129129 of the legislature under s. 13.172 (3).
130130 SECTION 4. 108.14 (29) of the statutes is created to read:
131131 108.14 (29) (a) The department shall maintain a call center to provide
132132 assistance and support by telephone to claimants for benefits under this chapter or
133133 payments under federal assistance programs for unemployment.
134134 (b) 1. The department shall, during each of the following periods, operate the
135135 call center with hours of at least 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays:
136136 a. During a declared state of emergency for the state that causes or relates to
137137 an increase in unemployment claims.
138138 b. For 90 days after any week in which the call center experiences an increase
139139 of at least 100 percent in calls compared to the same week during the previous year,
140140 and for 90 days after each subsequent week in which such an increase occurs.
141141 2. The department shall, during each of the following periods, operate the call
142142 center with hours after 5 p.m. on weekdays and at least 16 hours on weekends:
143143 a. During a declared state of emergency for the state that causes or relates to
144144 an increase in unemployment claims.
145145 b. For 90 days after any week in which the call center experiences an increase
146146 of at least 300 percent in calls compared to the same week during the previous year,
147147 and for 90 days after each subsequent week in which such an increase occurs.
148148 SECTION 5. 108.14 (30) of the statutes is created to read:
149149 108.14 (30) (a) The department shall, on at least a weekly basis, perform a
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175175 SECTION 5
176176 comparison of recipients of benefits under this chapter against all of the following
177177 for the purpose of detecting fraud or erroneous payments:
178178 1. Nationally recognized databases that contain information on death records,
179179 including the federal social security administration[s death master file.
180180 2. The National Association of State Workforce Agencies[ integrity data hub.
181181 3. The national directory of new hires maintained by the office of child
182182 support enforcement in the U.S. department of health and human services.
183183 4. Prisoner databases maintained by the department of justice, the
184184 department of corrections, and the U.S. department of justice.
185185 5. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Secure Automated
186186 Verification of Eligibility database.
187187 6. Databases maintained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
188188 (b) The department may perform comparisons of recipients of benefits under
189189 this chapter against public or private databases in addition to those specified in par.
190190 (a) 1. to 6.
191191 SECTION 6. 939.74 (2) (d) of the statutes is created to read:
192192 939.74 (2) (d) A prosecution for a felony violation under s. 108.24 (1) or (2) or
193193 under any other statute under which a person is prosecuted for fraud in obtaining
194194 unemployment insurance benefits, benefits under the pandemic unemployment
195195 assistance program under 15 USC 9021, benefits under the federal pandemic
196196 unemployment compensation and mixed earner unemployment compensation
197197 programs under 15 USC 9023, or benefits under the pandemic emergency
198198 unemployment compensation program under 15 USC 9025 must be commenced
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225225 SECTION 6
226226 within 8 years after the commission of the violation if the violation is related to
227227 benefits that were paid or payable on or before September 4, 2021.
228228 SECTION 7. Initial applicability.
229229 (1) Notwithstanding s. 990.06, the treatment of s. 939.74 (2) (d) first applies to
230230 an act for which the time limit under s. 939.74 (1) for prosecution has not expired as
231231 of the effective date of this subsection.
232232 SECTION 8. Effective date.
233233 (1) This act takes effect on the Sunday after publication.
234234 (END)
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