GOP Bills Tighten Unemployment Insurance
And ban guaranteed income programs. Gov. Evers vetoed previous proposals.
A sign advertises a job fair in Wausau, May 19, 2022. Rob Mentzer/WPR
Wisconsin Republicans are reviving bills that would make wide-ranging changes to unemployment benefits and prevent local communities from establishing guaranteed income programs.
Both plans cleared a state Assembly committee on party line votes last week and are scheduled for votes by the full Assembly on Tuesday.
The unemployment benefits changes would rename Wisconsin’s unemployment insurance program “reemployment assistance” and add requirements for eligibility. Under the proposal, a person would have to make direct contact with potential employers, expanding the current requirements that a person search for work every week that they collect unemployment insurance.
It would also require a person to more regularly check in with the Department of Workforce Development and require them to take part in employment workshops or trainings.
The proposal to ban guaranteed income programs would bar communities from handing out direct and no-strings-attached cash payments to residents. Guaranteed income programs are generally backed by progressive groups and do not require a person to meet requirements, such as looking for or holding employment.
During a debate in the Assembly Committee on Public Benefit Reform, Rep. Dan Knodl, R-Germantown, argued that both proposals would “really go to protecting the integrity of these systems, and that’s important if we want them to be sustainable going into the future.”
Both bills are supported by Wisconsin Independent Businesses and Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, as well as the conservative lobbying group FGA Action.
Rep. Christian Phelps, D-Eau Claire, argued that both bills are “making our social safety nets more complex for no discernible reason.”
“The impact would be harming people when they’re at their most vulnerable,” he added.
Rep. Ryan Clancy, D-Milwaukee, argued that the changes to unemployment law are “onerous.”
“We heard in this committee that unemployment is at a near record low, and I think that may change as federal employees are fired, but the idea that we would look to a legislative remedy of making it more difficult for people to find meaningful work … it just does not make any sense,” he said.
Rep. Scott Allen, R-Waukesha, argued that the changes were “designed to help people when they are at perhaps their lowest.”
“For those that have experienced an unanticipated unemployment, it can be very discouraging,” he said. “I think this reemployment [bill] is intended to come alongside those individuals who may be discouraged and to be their coach and encourager.”
Should the bills pass the full Assembly on Tuesday, they would also need to pass the Senate and be signed by Gov. Tony Evers to become law.
Evers has previously vetoed similar changes to unemployment insurance and a similar ban on guaranteed income programs.
GOP bills would tighten Wisconsin unemployment insurance, ban guaranteed income programs was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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