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Bills from the 2021–22 session

Assembly Bill 939

Various changes to the unemployment insurance law. (FE)

Vetoed by the governor

Both chambers passed it, and the governor vetoed it on Apr 15, 2022. Lawmakers did not ⁠, so it stands.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Jan 31, 2022

  2. Committee, passed

    Approved

  3. Assembly vote, passed

    Passed 58 to 34

  4. Senate vote, passed

    Passed 21 to 12

  5. Governor, stopped here

    Vetoed Apr 15, 2022.

  6. Law, not reached

Latest entry in the official record, May 17, 2022: “Failed to pass notwithstanding the objections of the Governor pursuant to Joint Rule 82”

Read the governor's veto message · All vetoes this session

Read the bill

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What it would have done

Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

Current law requires each employer that is notified of a claim for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits to promptly inform the Department of Workforce Development in writing as to any eligibility question in objection to such a claim together with the reasons for the objection.

This bill requires an employer that is notified of a claim for UI benefits to fully and promptly respond to DWD as to any eligibility question that may be at issue with respect to the claim, regardless of any objection to the claim on the part of the employer. The bill also provides that an employer may report to DWD whenever 1) an individual declines a job interview or job offer; 2) an individual fails to respond to a job interview offer or job offer; 3) an individual fails to attend a scheduled job interview without attempting to reschedule the job interview; 4) a UI claimant is unavailable for, or unable to perform, work actually available within a given week;

Read the full summary

or 5) under certain circumstances, the employer recalls a former employee receiving UI benefits who fails to return to work. The bill requires DWD to consider these reports in determining claimants' attachment to the labor market. The bill also provides that a UI claimant is not considered to have conducted a reasonable search for suitable work in a given week, and is therefore ineligible for benefits for that week, if the claimant had one or more credible reports without good cause of declining a job interview, failing to respond to a job interview offer, or failing to attend a job interview in that week. The bill, however, provides that the first such credible report is to be disregarded and allows subsequent reports to be disregarded upon certain showings by a claimant. The bill requires DWD to investigate each such report as needed to determine its effect on claimants' eligibility for benefits. DWD must include information on reports submitted by employing units under the bill in its annual UI fraud report made to the Council on Unemployment Insurance, including actions taken by DWD in response to the reports and their effect on claimants' eligibility for benefits. In addition, the bill requires that this annual fraud report be submitted to the appropriate standing committees of the legislature.

The bill requires DWD to have in effect methods to address any circumstances in which a claimant for UI benefits fails to return to work or to accept suitable work without good cause or is unavailable for work or unable to work, including reporting methods for employers and a notice from DWD to claimants about the laws governing such circumstances.

Finally, the bill requires, instead of allows, DWD to act to recover overpayments in certain circumstances and requires overpayments to be repaid in cases where an individual makes misrepresentations to obtain benefits in the name of another person.

Who's behind it

34 lawmakers are its ⁠. All 34 are Republicans.

7 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 41 names

Authors (34)

Signed on in support (7)

What it would cost

State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.

How lawmakers voted

There were 4 votes on this bill.

Assembly Committee on Workforce Development vote to recommend it

Passed, 8 to 4 · Feb 11, 2022

No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Official motion: “Report passage recommended by Committee on Workforce Development, Ayes 8, Noes 4”. Official record · This vote on its own page

Assembly vote to pass it

Passed, 58 to 34 · Feb 17, 2022 · 3 didn't vote

See how each of the 95 representatives voted

D: Democrat, R: Republican

Yes (58)

Didn't vote (3)

Official motion: “PASSAGE”. Official record · This vote on its own page

Senate vote

Passed, 5 to 0 · Feb 18, 2022

No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Official motion: “Public hearing requirement waived by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 18 (1m), Ayes 5, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page

Senate vote to pass it

Passed, 21 to 12 · Feb 22, 2022

See how each of the 33 senators voted

D: Democrat, R: Republican

Official motion: “CONCURRENCE”. Official record · This vote on its own page

What happened

  1. May 17, 2022

    The veto stood. Lawmakers didn't override it.

  2. Apr 15, 2022

    The governor vetoed it.

  3. Apr 13, 2022

    Sent to the governor.

  4. Feb 22, 2022

    The Senate passed it too, 21 to 12.

  5. Feb 18, 2022

    “Public hearing requirement waived by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 18 (1m), Ayes 5, Noes 0” (the official wording)

  6. Feb 18, 2022

    Sent to the Senate Committee on Senate Organization.

  7. Feb 17, 2022

    The Senate received it.

  8. Feb 17, 2022

    The Assembly passed it, 58 to 34.

  9. Feb 11, 2022

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Rules.

  10. Feb 11, 2022

    The committee voted to recommend passing it, 8 to 4.

  11. Feb 10, 2022

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  12. Feb 8, 2022

    The committee held a public hearing.

  13. Feb 3, 2022

    1 more representative signed on in support.

  14. Jan 31, 2022

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Workforce Development.

  15. Jan 31, 2022

    Introduced in the Assembly.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Jan 31, 2022 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Plumer, Moses, Penterman, Armstrong, August, Brandtjen, Cabral-Guevara, Callahan, Dallman, Dittrich, Duchow, Edming, James, Katsma, Kitchens, Knodl, Krug, Kuglitsch, Kurtz, Loudenbeck, Macco, Magnafici, Petersen, Petryk, Schraa, Snyder, Sortwell, Steffen, Tittl, Tusler, Vorpagel, Wichgers, Zimmerman and Born; cosponsored by Senators Felzkowski, Bernier, Darling, Feyen, Marklein and Stroebel

  2. Jan 31, 2022 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Workforce Development

  3. Feb 3, 2022 · Assembly

    Representative Murphy added as a coauthor

  4. Feb 8, 2022 · Assembly

    Public hearing held

  5. Feb 10, 2022 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  6. Feb 10, 2022 · Assembly

    Executive action taken

  7. Feb 11, 2022 · Assembly

    Report passage recommended by Committee on Workforce Development, Ayes 8, Noes 4

  8. Feb 11, 2022 · Assembly

    Referred to committee on Rules

  9. Feb 15, 2022 · Assembly

    Placed on calendar 2-17-2022 by Committee on Rules

  10. Feb 17, 2022 · Assembly

    Read a second time

  11. Feb 17, 2022 · Assembly

    Ordered to a third reading

  12. Feb 17, 2022 · Assembly

    Rules suspended

  13. Feb 17, 2022 · Assembly

    Read a third time and passed, Ayes 58, Noes 34, Paired 4

  14. Feb 17, 2022 · Assembly

    Ordered immediately messaged

  15. Feb 17, 2022 · Senate

    Received from Assembly

  16. Feb 18, 2022 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to committee on Senate Organization

  17. Feb 18, 2022 · Senate

    Available for scheduling

  18. Feb 18, 2022 · Senate

    Public hearing requirement waived by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 18 (1m), Ayes 5, Noes 0

  19. Feb 18, 2022 · Senate

    Placed on calendar 2-22-2022 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)

  20. Feb 22, 2022 · Senate

    Read a second time

  21. Feb 22, 2022 · Senate

    Ordered to a third reading

  22. Feb 22, 2022 · Senate

    Rules suspended

  23. Feb 22, 2022 · Senate

    Read a third time and concurred in, Ayes 21, Noes 12

  24. Feb 22, 2022 · Senate

    Ordered immediately messaged

  25. Feb 23, 2022 · Assembly

    Received from Senate concurred in

  26. Feb 28, 2022 · Assembly

    Report correctly enrolled on 2-28-2022

  27. Apr 13, 2022 · Assembly

    Presented to the Governor on 4-13-2022

  28. Apr 15, 2022 · Assembly

    Report vetoed by the Governor on 4-15-2022

  29. May 17, 2022 · Assembly

    Placed on calendar 5-17-2022 pursuant to Joint Rule 82 (2)(a)

  30. May 17, 2022 · Assembly

    Failed to pass notwithstanding the objections of the Governor pursuant to Joint Rule 82

Terms on this page

Veto override

Lawmakers can still pass a bill the governor vetoed, but it takes two-thirds of each chamber.

More in the glossary

Legislative Reference Bureau

The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.

Official term: LRB analysis. More in the glossary

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor. More in the glossary

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor. More in the glossary

Cost estimate

A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.

Official term: Fiscal estimate. More in the glossary

Roll call

A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.

Official term: Roll call vote. More in the glossary

From the Wisconsin Legislature's official record, checked Sep 15, 2026. See the source

Veto override

Lawmakers can still pass a bill the governor vetoed, but it takes two-thirds of each chamber.

Legislative Reference Bureau

The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.

Official term: LRB analysis

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor

Cost estimate

A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.

Official term: Fiscal estimate

Roll call

A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.

Official term: Roll call vote