WI
Wisconsin Senate Bill SB200

Wisconsin 2025-2026 Regular Session

Wisconsin Senate Bill SB200 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 SENATE BILL 200
55 April 14, 2025 - Introduced by Senator FEYEN, cosponsored by Representatives
66 KREIBICH, O'CONNOR, DITTRICH, DUCHOW, GREEN, GUNDRUM, B. JACOBSON,
77 KNODL, MURPHY and NEDWESKI. Referred to Committee on Government
88 Operations, Labor and Economic Development.
99 AN ACT to create 108.14 (10m), 108.14 (23m), 108.14 (28), 108.14 (29), 108.14
1010 (30) and 939.74 (2) (d) of the statutes; relating to: various changes to the
1111 unemployment insurance law.
1212 Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
1313 UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE
1414 This bill makes various changes in the unemployment insurance (UI) law,
1515 which is administered by the Department of Workforce Development. Significant
1616 changes include all of the following:
1717 Identity proofing
1818 The bill requires DWD to implement identity-proofing measures for UI
1919 claimants who are engaging in benefit-related transactions with DWD that 1)
2020 require a claimant to verify his or her identity prior to filing an initial claim for
2121 benefits and when engaging in other transactions with DWD, and 2) achieve the
2222 IAL2 and AAL2 standards adopted in the National Institute of Standards and
2323 Technology[s Digital Identity Guidelines.
2424 Statute of limitations
2525 Under current law, a prosecution for a felony must be commenced within six
2626 years after it was committed. Current law provides several exceptions for certain
2727 felonies, and the bill adds another exception. Under the bill, a prosecution for a
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3434 felony must be commenced within eight years after it was committed if the felony
3535 involves fraud in obtaining UI benefits and benefits under the special
3636 unemployment benefit programs under the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and
3737 Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020.
3838 Education and informational materials
3939 Current law requires DWD to compile and provide to employers certain
4040 information about how the UI system works, including a handbook on the UI
4141 system for employers and information concerning the financing of the UI system
4242 that is published on DWD[s website. The bill requires DWD to also provide certain
4343 training materials for employers and claimants on the UI system. The bill requires
4444 DWD to publish training videos on its website and also to provide live training
4545 seminars for employing units that are free of charge and provided on a quarterly
4646 basis.
4747 Assistance call center
4848 The bill requires DWD to operate a call center to assist claimants for UI
4949 benefits or similar federal payments. Furthermore, the bill requires DWD to do the
5050 following:
5151 1. If the volume of calls has increased by 100 percent or more over the same
5252 week during the previous year or if there is a declared state of emergency for the
5353 state that causes or relates to an increase in UI claims, operate the call center with
5454 hours of at least 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.
5555 2. If the volume of calls has increased by 300 percent or more over the same
5656 week during the previous year or if there is a declared state of emergency for the
5757 state that causes or relates to an increase in UI claims, operate the call center with
5858 evening hours after 5 p.m. and weekend hours.
5959 Database comparisons
6060 The bill requires DWD to perform a comparison of state and national
6161 databases that track death records, employment records, prison records, citizenship
6262 and immigration, and immigrations and customs against recipients of UI benefits
6363 for the purposes of detecting fraud or erroneous payments. The bill requires DWD
6464 to perform the comparison on at least a weekly basis. The bill provides that DWD
6565 may also make such comparisons with other databases.
6666 Fraud detection
6767 The bill requires DWD, if it suspends or reduces any method used by the
6868 department to detect fraud committed against the unemployment insurance
6969 program, to submit a notification detailing the suspension or reduction and the
7070 reasons therefor to the Council on Unemployment Insurance, the Governor, and the
7171 appropriate standing committees of the legislature.
7272 For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be
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7777 SECTION 1
7878 The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
7979 enact as follows:
8080 SECTION 1. 108.14 (10m) of the statutes is created to read:
8181 108.14 (10m) The department shall implement identity-proofing measures
8282 for claimants who are engaging in benefit-related transactions with the department
8383 that satisfy all of the following:
8484 (a) The measures require a claimant to verify his or her identity prior to filing
8585 an initial claim for benefits and when engaging in other transactions with the
8686 department.
8787 (b) The measures achieve the IAL2 and AAL2 standards adopted in the
8888 National Institute of Standards and Technology[s Digital Identity Guidelines.
8989 SECTION 2. 108.14 (23m) of the statutes is created to read:
9090 108.14 (23m) The department shall provide training materials on the
9191 unemployment insurance system, including all of the following:
9292 (a) Training videos for claimants and employing units published on the
9393 department[s website.
9494 (b) Live training seminars for employing units that are free of charge and
9595 provided on a quarterly basis. The seminars may be in-person, online, or both.
9696 SECTION 3. 108.14 (28) of the statutes is created to read:
9797 108.14 (28) If the department suspends or reduces any method used by the
9898 department to detect fraud committed against the unemployment insurance
9999 program under this chapter, the department shall submit a notification detailing
100100 the suspension or reduction and the reasons therefor to the council on
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125125 SECTION 3
126126 unemployment insurance, the governor, and the appropriate standing committees
127127 of the legislature under s. 13.172 (3).
128128 SECTION 4. 108.14 (29) of the statutes is created to read:
129129 108.14 (29) (a) The department shall maintain a call center to provide
130130 assistance and support by telephone to claimants for benefits under this chapter or
131131 payments under federal assistance programs for unemployment.
132132 (b) 1. The department shall, during each of the following periods, operate the
133133 call center with hours of at least 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays:
134134 a. During a declared state of emergency for the state that causes or relates to
135135 an increase in unemployment claims.
136136 b. For 90 days after any week in which the call center experiences an increase
137137 of at least 100 percent in calls compared to the same week during the previous year,
138138 and for 90 days after each subsequent week in which such an increase occurs.
139139 2. The department shall, during each of the following periods, operate the call
140140 center with hours after 5 p.m. on weekdays and at least 16 hours on weekends:
141141 a. During a declared state of emergency for the state that causes or relates to
142142 an increase in unemployment claims.
143143 b. For 90 days after any week in which the call center experiences an increase
144144 of at least 300 percent in calls compared to the same week during the previous year,
145145 and for 90 days after each subsequent week in which such an increase occurs.
146146 SECTION 5. 108.14 (30) of the statutes is created to read:
147147 108.14 (30) (a) The department shall, on at least a weekly basis, perform a
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173173 SECTION 5
174174 comparison of recipients of benefits under this chapter against all of the following
175175 for the purpose of detecting fraud or erroneous payments:
176176 1. Nationally recognized databases that contain information on death records,
177177 including the federal social security administration[s death master file.
178178 2. The National Association of State Workforce Agencies[ integrity data hub.
179179 3. The national directory of new hires maintained by the office of child
180180 support enforcement in the U.S. department of health and human services.
181181 4. Prisoner databases maintained by the department of justice, the
182182 department of corrections, and the U.S. department of justice.
183183 5. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Secure Automated
184184 Verification of Eligibility database.
185185 6. Databases maintained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
186186 (b) The department may perform comparisons of recipients of benefits under
187187 this chapter against public or private databases in addition to those specified in par.
188188 (a) 1. to 6.
189189 SECTION 6. 939.74 (2) (d) of the statutes is created to read:
190190 939.74 (2) (d) A prosecution for a felony violation under s. 108.24 (1) or (2) or
191191 under any other statute under which a person is prosecuted for fraud in obtaining
192192 unemployment insurance benefits, benefits under the pandemic unemployment
193193 assistance program under 15 USC 9021, benefits under the federal pandemic
194194 unemployment compensation and mixed earner unemployment compensation
195195 programs under 15 USC 9023, or benefits under the pandemic emergency
196196 unemployment compensation program under 15 USC 9025 must be commenced
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223223 SECTION 6
224224 within 8 years after the commission of the violation if the violation is related to
225225 benefits that were paid or payable on or before September 4, 2021.
226226 SECTION 7. Initial applicability.
227227 (1) Notwithstanding s. 990.06, the treatment of s. 939.74 (2) (d) first applies to
228228 an act for which the time limit under s. 939.74 (1) for prosecution has not expired as
229229 of the effective date of this subsection.
230230 SECTION 8. Effective date.
231231 (1) This act takes effect on the Sunday after publication.
232232 (END)
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