On February 12, the Department of Workforce Development (DWD) announced a new phase of worker training grants under the Wisconsin Fast Forward (WFF) program. The program, administered by the Office of Skills Development (OSD) at DWD, provides grants for training programs to help unemployed, underemployed, and incumbent workers learn new skills. The grants are intended […]
In Third State of the State Address, Gov. Evers Calls for Unemployment System Overhaul and Declares 2021 “Year of Broadband”
Date Thu, Jan. 14, 2021 - 5:07pm By Hamilton
On Tuesday night, Governor Tony Evers delivered his third annual State of the State address virtually via YouTube and Facebook. After reflecting on the challenges of 2020 and reviewing the status of the COVID-19 pandemic, the governor set out several of his policy priorities for 2021. Referencing the massive influx of unemployment claims that the […]
PFAS, Climate Change and Rural Wisconsin Reports Released
Date Fri, Dec. 18, 2020 - 8:56am By Hamilton
Year-end brings the holiday season, winter weather and… task force/commission reports. This month, so far, the governor has announced the release of three different reports, each a result of a distinct multi-year effort: Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change, Blue Ribbon Commission on Rural Prosperity , and Wisconsin PFAS Action Council (WisPAC). Each report provides […]
Judge Again Blocks Release of Business Names with COVID-19 Cases
Date Fri, Dec. 18, 2020 - 8:54am By Hamilton
On Monday, November 30, a Waukesha judge extended the temporary restraining order prohibiting the state from releasing the names of businesses with more than 25 employees, who have had at least two workers test positive for COVID-19. Recall, in early October Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC) filed suit in Waukesha County seeking an injunction to […]
DWD Announces Worker Training Grants
Date Thu, Oct. 22, 2020 - 2:06pm By Hamilton
The Department of Workforce Development’s Office of Skills Development (OSD) will begin accepting applications for a worker training grant opportunity next week. The “Industry Sectors Worker Training Grant” is a redesigned opportunity in the Wisconsin Fast Forward program. According to OSD the “grant program is designed to help fund the development of innovative and collaborative […]
Wisconsin UI Program Continues to Confront Delays; DWD Secretary Resigns
Date Fri, Oct. 2, 2020 - 10:56am By Hamilton
Wisconsin’s Unemployment Insurance Program (UI) continues to be front and center as COVID-19 impacts layoffs in Wisconsin. Initial reports of call center failures were confirmed last week by an audit done by the Legislative Audit Bureau (LAB). The audit briefing sheet shared that the Department of Workforce Development (DWD), the cabinet agency that administers […]
Department of Revenue Economic Forecast
Date Mon, Jun. 29, 2020 - 11:27am By Hamilton
The Wisconsin Department of Revenue (DOR) has released an updated economic forecast. The latest forecast notes that several economic indicators fared better than expected since the forecast released in May. Specifically, employment began to improve in May, with Wisconsin recovering 75,000 jobs. DOR predicts that Wisconsin will recover close to 25 percent of jobs lost […]
Leg Council Memo on Worker’s Compensation & COVID-19
Date Thu, Jun. 18, 2020 - 11:15am By Hamilton
Wisconsin Legislative Council recently released an issue paper overviewing employer liability for employees diagnosed with COVID-19 after returning to work. The paper explains that Wisconsin’s Worker’s Compensation Act provides that employee injuries sustained from an illness or infection are coverable by Worker’s Compensation, but employees must prove they became ill in the course of their […]
Study Finds Federal Davis-Bacon Act Increases Costs, Limits Competition in Wisconsin
Date Fri, May. 29, 2020 - 6:13am By Hamilton
A new study from Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL), partnering with Associated Builders & Contractors of Wisconsin (ABC), shows the federal Davis-Bacon Act increases costs while limiting competition for construction jobs in Wisconsin. The Davis-Bacon Act, enacted in 1931, requires construction companies to provide a federally mandated “prevailing wage” on projects funded by […]
Senate Committee Holds Hearing on Unemployment Insurance Program
Date Thu, May. 28, 2020 - 4:17pm By Hamilton
On May 27, the Senate Committee on Labor and Regulatory Reform held an informational hearing on Wisconsin’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) program. The hearing was held as Wisconsin unemployment numbers are at record highs, and many Republican legislators are criticizing Gov. Tony Evers’s administration for reports of major backlogs in UI requests. As noted in the […]