Senate Bill 515
Unemployment insurance benefits. (FE)
Topics: Unemployment insurance, Wage
Stopped in committee
It never got a , so it never came up for a vote. The last day for votes this session was Mar 19, 2026. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.
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Introduced, passed
Oct 9, 2025
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Committee, stopped here
Stopped here. No public hearing was held.
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Senate vote, not reached
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Assembly vote, not reached
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Governor, not reached
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Law, not reached
Latest entry in the official record, Mar 23, 2026: “Failed to pass pursuant to ”
It never got a hearing in the Senate Committee on Government Operations, Labor and Economic Development. The committee's chair at the time was Dan Feyen. Chairs decide which bills get a hearing. See every bill that never got a hearing this session.
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The same bill was also filed in the Assembly as AB 532. That version died when the session ended.
Terms on this page
Committee
A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
Senate Joint Resolution 1
The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.
Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1. 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
What it would have done
Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.
EMPLOYMENT This bill makes changes regarding the amount of unemployment insurance benefits that a claimant may receive in a given week, as follows:
Increasing maximum weekly unemployment benefits Under current law, a person who qualifies for unemployment insurance receives a weekly benefit rate equal to a percentage of that person’s past earnings, but the weekly benefit rate is capped at $370. This bill changes the maximum weekly benefit rate in the following ways:
Read the full summary Show less
1. For benefits paid for weeks of unemployment beginning on or after January 4, 2026, but before January 3, 2027, the maximum weekly benefit rate is capped at $497.
2. For benefits paid for weeks of unemployment beginning on or after January 3, 2027, the maximum weekly benefit rate is increased based upon the change in the consumer price index and is then increased on the same basis annually thereafter.
Increasing unemployment insurance benefit wage cap Under current law, a person who qualifies for unemployment insurance is ineligible to receive any UI benefits for a week if the person receives or will receive wages or certain other earnings totalling more than $500 (wage cap). This bill changes the wage cap in the following ways:
1. For weeks of unemployment beginning on or after January 4, 2026, but before January 3, 2027, the wage cap is increased to $672.
2. For weeks of unemployment beginning on or after January 3, 2027, the wage cap is increased based upon the change in the consumer price index and is then increased on the same basis annually thereafter.
Who's behind it
9 senators are its . All 9 are Democrats.
24 more lawmakers .
See all 33 names Hide the names
Authors (9)
- Kristin Dassler-Alfheim · Democrat, Senate
- Jodi Habush Sinykin · Democrat, Senate
- Dianne Hesselbein · Democrat, Senate
- Sarah Keyeski · Democrat, Senate
- LaTonya Johnson · Democrat, Senate
- Chris Larson · Democrat, Senate
- Melissa Ratcliff · Democrat, Senate
- Kelda Roys · Democrat, Senate
- Mark Spreitzer · Democrat, Senate
Signed on in support (24)
- Clint Anderson · Democrat, Assembly
- Margaret Arney · Democrat, Assembly
- Mike Bare · Democrat, Assembly
- Brienne Brown · Democrat, Assembly
- Ryan Clancy · Democrat, Assembly
- Ben DeSmidt · Democrat, Assembly
- Joan Fitzgerald · Democrat, Assembly
- Francesca Hong · Democrat, Assembly
- Andrew Hysell · Democrat, Assembly
- Jenna Jacobson · Democrat, Assembly
- Alex Joers · Democrat, Assembly
- Tara Johnson · Democrat, Assembly
- Karen Kirsch · Democrat, Assembly
- Darrin Madison · Democrat, Assembly
- Maureen McCarville · Democrat, Assembly
- Vinnie Miresse · Democrat, Assembly
- Supreme Moore Omokunde · Democrat, Assembly
- Sylvia Ortiz-Velez · Democrat, Assembly
- Ann Roe · Democrat, Assembly
- Christine Sinicki · Democrat, Assembly
- Shelia Stubbs · Democrat, Assembly
- Lisa Subeck · Democrat, Assembly
- Angelito Tenorio · Democrat, Assembly
- Randy Udell · Democrat, Assembly
What it would cost
State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.
What happened
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Mar 23, 2026
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Jan 9, 2026
1 more representative signed on in support.
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Dec 2, 2025
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
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Nov 12, 2025
1 more representative signed on in support.
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Oct 9, 2025
Sent to the Senate Committee on Government Operations, Labor and Economic Development.
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Oct 9, 2025
Introduced in the Senate.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Oct 9, 2025 · Senate
Introduced by Senators L. Johnson, Dassler-Alfheim, Habush Sinykin, Hesselbein, Keyeski, Larson, Ratcliff, Roys and Spreitzer; cosponsored by Representatives McCarville, Anderson, Arney, Bare, Brown, Clancy, DeSmidt, Fitzgerald, Hong, Hysell, Joers, Kirsch, Madison, Miresse, Moore Omokunde, Ortiz-Velez, Roe, Stubbs, Subeck, Tenorio, Udell and Johnson
- Oct 9, 2025 · Senate
Read first time and referred to Committee on Government Operations, Labor and Economic Development
- Nov 12, 2025 · Senate
Representative Sinicki added as a cosponsor
- Dec 2, 2025 · Senate
Fiscal estimate received
- Jan 9, 2026 · Senate
Representative J. Jacobson added as a cosponsor
- Mar 23, 2026 · Senate
Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1
Terms on this page
Committee
A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
Senate Joint Resolution 1
The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.
Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1. 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
From the Wisconsin Legislature's official record, checked Sep 15, 2026. See the source
Committee
A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
Senate Joint Resolution 1
The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.
Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1
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
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