Various changes in the unemployment insurance law. (FE)

License revocations based on UI contribution delinquencies Current law requires various state agencies and boards (licensing departments) that issue various licenses and other credentials (licenses) to revoke a license or deny an application for a license if the Department of Revenue (DOR) certifies that the license holder or applicant owes DOR delinquent taxes. Subject to certain limitations, current law, as created by 2013 Wisconsin Act 36 , similarly requires licensing departments to revoke a license or deny an application for a license if the Department of Workforce Development (DWD) certifies that the license holder or applicant is liable for delinquent UI contributions. UI contributions are taxes employers must pay to DWD for deposit with the federal government, and which are then used to pay the claims of claimants for UI benefits.

2013 Wisconsin Act 20 (budget act) created and transferred the authority of various licensing departments to issue and administer certain licenses and modified accordingly various provisions related to license revocations due to liability of the licensees for delinquent taxes owed to DOR.

This bill makes similar changes related to license revocations due to liability of the licensees for delinquent UI contributions to the changes made by the budget act. Specifically, the bill does all of the following:

1. Requires the Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) to revoke or deny a registration to operate as a charitable organization, fund-raising counsel, professional fund-raiser, or professional employer organization if DWD certifies that the registrant is liable for delinquent UI contributions. Administration of these registrations was transferred from the Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) to DFI by the budget act.

2. Requires the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) to revoke or deny a navigator license or navigator entity registration (for assistance to individuals in obtaining appropriate health insurance coverage) if DWD certifies that the license or registration holder is liable for delinquent UI contributions. The authority for OCI to issue navigator licenses and registrations was created by the budget act.

3. Requires the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) to revoke a certification or registration of a person who works with tanks that contain hazardous substances and persons who perform assessments of sites where such tanks are located. The authority to issue these certifications or registrations was transferred to DATCP from DSPS by the budget act.

Failure of claimants to comply with requests for information Currently, if a UI claimant fails to comply with a request by DWD to provide certain information relating to the claimant's eligibility and certain demographic information, the claimant is ineligible to receive UI benefits until the claimant complies or satisfies DWD that he or she had good cause for failure to comply with the request. This bill makes a claimant ineligible to receive benefits until the claimant complies, regardless of the cause for failure to comply. Under the bill, if the claimant later complies, the claimant is eligible to receive benefits as of the week in which the failure occurred, if otherwise qualified.

Tardy filing fees Currently, each employer must file a quarterly report with DWD identifying the name of and wages paid to each employee who is employed by the employer in employment covered by the UI law during the most recent calendar quarter. With limited exceptions, if an employer is delinquent in filing the report, the employer must pay a tardy filing fee of $100 or $20 per employee, whichever is greater, but if the employer files the report within 30 days of its due date, the fee is reduced to $50.

This bill makes an employer eligible for the reduced tardy filing fee if the employer files its report within 30 days after DWD assesses a tardy filing fee to that employer.