WISCONSIN BLUE BOOK 1989-1990


department was formed in 1967, administration of these laws was delegated
to the Equal Rights
Division.
   Programs added to the department over the years include plumbing and electrical
inspection
and certification, regulation of migrant camps, construction and energy conservation
standards
for homes and buildings, inspection of petroleum products, and employment
training responsi-
bilities under the U.S. Job Training Partnership Act.
  Chapter 29, Laws of 1977, changed the department's leadership from a 3-member
commission
to a secretary who serves at the pleasure of the governor.
   Recent additions to the department are the Labor and Management Council
and the Petro-
leum Storage Environmental Cleanup Council, created by 1987 Wisconsin Acts
27 and 399,
respectively. The department's pamphlet "Timeline History" traces
the department's history
fromi.its 1883 beginnings to 1986 and notes some of the more significant
administrative and
legislative changes that occurred during that period.

   Organization: A secretary appointed by the governor with the advice and
consent of the senate
heads the department. The secretary selects a deputy secretary and executive
assistant.
   Seven divisions conduct the department's work. Councils created by statute
and temporary
committees established by the secretary and the divisions advise the department.
   Agency Responsibility: The department provides services to industry and
labor and seeks to
protect certain human rights. It carries out these responsibilities through
programs designed to
proiife benefit payment systems that reduce the effects of decreased or irregular
personal income
due to unemployment or work-related injury; promote full employment and economic
develop-
ment through Job Service; offer training that will improve workers' skills
and employment op-
portunities and help business and industry meet their work force needs; and
protect the public
from substandard and dangerous conditions in public and private buildings
and discrimination
in housing and employment.

   Unit Functions:
   The Administrative Division provides management and program  support to
the other
divisions.
  The Employment and Training Policy Division develops employment policies,
provides labor
market information, and administers programs that offer training opportunities
to individuals
and employers.
  The Equal Rights Division promotes compliance with state laws that protect
citizens from
discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations and.provide
for proper
hours, conditions of work and family and medical leave. It also works to
assure that wages are
paid on time, that prevailing wages are paid for state or municipal construction
projects, and
that persons and businesses displaced by public projects receive adequate
relocation services and
compensation for losses incurred.
  The Job Service Division helps job seekers find employment and employers
find workers. It
also, participates in an interstate job-finding and job-filling system and
helps analyze local labor
market conditions.
  The Safety and Buildings Division administers state laws that regulate
buildings, safety and
health, and petroleum; develops and administers the codes needed to implement
state laws; and
develops and distributes information about laws, rules and programs to users,
consumers, and
the public.
  The Unemployment Compensation Division administers programs to collect
employer taxes,
pay benefits to unemployed workers, and resolve contested benefit claims.
  The Worker's Compensation Division administers programs to assure that
injured workers
receive financial and other benefits from insurers and self-insured employers,
to encourage such
workers' rehabilitation and reemployment, and to promote techniques that
reduce the number
of work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths.
  The Apprenticeship Council advises the department on matters pertaining
to Wisconsin's ap-
prenticeship system.
  The Automatic Fire Sprinkler System Contractors and Journeymen Council
reviews the content
of examinations and advises the department on related matters.


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