Wage threshold for receipt of benefits
Under current law, a claimant for UI benefits is generally ineligible to receive
any benefits for a week if the claimant receives or is considered to have received
wages or other amounts from employment totaling more than $500. The bill repeals
this ineligibility provision. However, the bill does not affect the partial benefits
formula, which reduces a claimant's weekly UI benefit payment by a certain
percentage of wages earned in a week by the claimant.
Electronic transactions with DWD
Currently, with certain exceptions, each employer that has employees who are
engaged in employment covered by the UI law must file quarterly contribution (tax)
and employment and wage reports and make quarterly payment of its contributions
to DWD. An employer of 25 or more employees or an employer agent that files reports
on behalf of any employer must file its reports electronically. Current law also
requires each employer that makes contributions for any 12-month period ending
on June 30 equal to a total of at least $10,000 to make all contribution payments
electronically in the following year. Finally, current law allows DWD to provide a
secure means of electronic interchange between itself and employing units,
claimants, and other persons that, upon request to and with prior approval by DWD,
may be used for transmission or receipt of any document specified by DWD that is
related to the administration of the UI law in lieu of any other means of submission
or receipt.
The bill makes use of these electronic methods mandatory in all cases, unless
the employer or other person demonstrates good cause for being unable to use the
electronic method, as determined by DWD by rule. The bill also provides that DWD
may permit the use of electronic records and electronic signatures for any document
specified by DWD that is related to the administration of the UI law.
State employment
Paid sick leave for limited term employees
Under current law, permanent and project state employees receive the
following paid leave: vacation; personal holidays; sick leave; and legal holidays. The
bill requires the state to provide paid sick leave to limited term employees of the state
at the same rate as to permanent and project state employees.
Paid parental leave
The bill requires the administrator of the Division of Personnel Management
in DOA to develop a program for paid parental leave for most state employees. The
bill requires the administrator to submit the plan for approval as a change to the
state compensation plan to the Joint Committee on Employment Relations. If
JCOER approves the plan, the plan becomes effective immediately.
The bill also requires the Board of Regents of the UW System to develop a plan
for a program for paid parental leave for employees of the system and requires the
board to submit the plan to the administrator of the Division of Personnel
Management in DOA with its compensation plan changes for the 2021-23 biennium.

Vacation hours for state employees
The bill provides additional annual leave hours to state employees during their
third, fourth, and fifth years of service.
Under current law, state employees who are in nonexempt status under the
federal Fair Labor Standards Act earn annual leave at the rate of 104 hours per year
of continuous service during the first five years of service and, on an employee's fifth
anniversary of continuous service, the rate increases to 144 hours of annual leave per
year of continuous service. Under the bill, beginning on the employee's second
anniversary, a state employee in nonexempt status begins earning vacation hours at
the rate of 120 hours per year of service.
Under current law, state employees who are in exempt status under the federal
Fair Labor Standards Act earn annual vacation at the rate of 120 hours per year of
continuous service during the first five years of service and, on the fifth anniversary
of continuous service, the rate increases to 160 hours of annual leave per year of
continuous service. Under the bill, beginning on the employee's second anniversary,
a state employee in exempt status begins earning vacation hours at the rate of 136
hours per year of service.
Merit pay raises for state public defenders
Under current law, there is an assistant state public defender pay progression
plan, which consists of 17 hourly salary steps, with each step equal to
one-seventeenth of the difference between the lowest hourly salary and the highest
hourly salary. The plan provides that no salary adjustment under the plan may
increase an assistant state public defender's salary by more than 10 percent of his
or her base pay during a fiscal year.
The bill allows the state public defender board to provide merit-based pay
raises under the assistant state public defender pay progression plan in fiscal year
2022 that may exceed 10 percent of an assistant state public defender's base pay for
assistant state public defenders who were employed by the state public defender
board before July 1, 2021.
Director of the Legislative Technology Services Bureau
The director of the Legislative Technology Services Bureau is currently
assigned to executive salary group five, which, effective January 3, 2021, has an
annual pay range of $89,045 to $146,931. The bill reassigns the director to executive
salary group six, which, effective January 3, 2021, has an annual pay range of
$96,179 to $158,704. Within this range, the Joint Committee on Legislative
Organization determines the director's annual salary.
Jobs and job training
Worker connection program
The bill requires DWD to establish a worker connection program to be
administered by DWD to help prospective employee participants prepare for and
enter quality jobs in targeted employment sectors identified by DWD as having high
opportunities for career growth.

Pandemic recovery grants
The bill requires DWD to establish and operate a program to provide grants to
local workforce development boards to fund pandemic recovery efforts to emphasize
training, skill development, and economic recovery for individuals and businesses.
The grants may be used for virtual and in-person job training, employment
navigators or coaches, skill assessment, transportation, soft skill development,
career or talent search services, and other programs to return employees to the labor
market.
Pandemic workforce training program grants
The bill creates a pandemic workforce training program to be administered by
DWD. Under the program, DWD is required to award grants to public and private
organizations for the development and implementation of pandemic workforce
training programs. The grants may be used for virtual and in-person job training,
employment navigators or coaches, skill assessment, transportation, soft skill
development, career or talent search services, and other programs to return
employees to the labor market. The bill also permits DWD to require a public or
private organization, as a condition of receiving a grant, to provide matching funds
at a percentage to be determined by DWD.
Green jobs training program grants
The bill creates a green jobs training program to be administered by DWD.
Under the program, DWD is required to award grants to public and private
organizations for the development and implementation of green jobs training
programs. The bill defines green jobs as jobs that produce goods or provide services
that benefit the environment or conserve natural resources. The bill also permits
DWD to require a public or private organization, as a condition of receiving a grant,
to provide matching funds at a percentage to be determined by DWD.