Assembly Bill 169 proposes various amendments to Wisconsin's unemployment insurance (UI) law, primarily focusing on the responsibilities of claimants and the reporting requirements for employers. The bill stipulates that employers can report instances where a claimant declines job interviews or offers, fails to respond to them, or is unavailable for work. These reports will be considered by the Department of Workforce Development (DWD) when assessing a claimant's attachment to the labor market. Additionally, claimants must provide weekly verification of job search activities, including job offers and interviews, and will be deemed ineligible for benefits if they do not conduct a reasonable search for suitable work, unless they can demonstrate good cause for missed opportunities.

The bill also mandates that DWD must recover overpayments of benefits in cases of misrepresentation, making such recoveries mandatory rather than permissive. It requires DWD to include information on employer reports in its annual fraud report to the legislature and to maintain methods for addressing situations where claimants fail to return to work or accept suitable work without good cause. Overall, the bill aims to enhance the integrity of the unemployment insurance system by tightening eligibility requirements and increasing accountability for both claimants and employers.

Statutes affected:
Text as Enrolled: 108.04(2)(a)3, 108.04, 108.04(2)(bm), 108.04(2)(g)2, 108.04(11)(cm), 108.14(21), 108.14, 108.22(8)(a), 108.22
Bill Text: 108.04(2)(a)3, 108.04, 108.04(2)(bm), 108.04(2)(g)2, 108.04(11)(cm), 108.14(21), 108.14, 108.22(8)(a), 108.22