1987-1988 SESSION: SUMMARY OF LEGISLATION


   1. Requires all employers whose employes are covered by the unemployment
compensation
law to file quarterly reports with the Department of Industry, Labor and
Human Relations
(DILHR) showing wages paid to their employes. Formerly, wage reports were
required only
after a benefit claim was filed.
  2.   Restructures tax schedules and changes tax rates.
  3. Changes the "base period" (work period on which a claim is
based) from the 52 weeks
preceding the first week of benefits to the first 4 of the last 5 most recently
completed calendar
quarters preceding the start of the employe's "benefit year" (period
during which benefits are
potentially payable).
  4. Changes the method of charging benefits so that all employers during
an employe's base
period are charged proportionately for benefits. Under former law, the charges
were usually
sequenced as benefit payments were made, with the most recent employer usually
charged first.
  5. Changes the method of calculating benefits so that an employe's uniform
weekly benefit
rate is 4 percent of the employe's wages during that quarter of an employe's
base period in which
the employe received the highest wages, but not more than $200. Formerly,
an employe received
50% of his or her average weekly wage with the employer being charged in
a given week, but not
more than $196.
  6. Requires an employe to have earned wages equal to at least 40 times
his or her weekly
benefit rate during his or her base period in employment covered by the unemployment
compen-
sation law and to have combined wages outside the quarter during which the
employe earns the
highest wages of at least 13 times the employe's weekly benefit rate in order
to receive benefits.
Formerly, an employe was required to have worked in employment covered by
the unemploy-
ment compensation law for at least 19 weeks and earned wages equal to at
least 19 times 30% of
the state's average wages per week in order to receive benefits.
  7. Changes numerous provisions that disqualify employes or suspend benefit
rights under
certain circumstances to conform with the revisions in benefit qualifications
and computations
made by the act.
  The act also makes changes in the laws governing coverage of corporate
officers, charging of
certain benefits, meetings of the Council on Unemployment Compensation, benefit
disqualifica-
tion issues initiated by DILHR, appeals by DILHR of unemployment compensation
decisions,
suspension of agents who appear before DILHR, write-off of overdrafts in
employer accounts,
delinquent reporting fees, the term of election for financing benefits on
a reimbursement basis
and penalties for various acts of concealment.
  Act 287 (SB-235) requires an employer in this state with more than 50 employes
to provide
family leave and medical leave to certain employes. The act provides 6 weeks
of family leave
during a 12-month period for the birth or adoption of the employe's child.
The act also provides,
within a 12-month period, 2 weeks of family leave to allow an employe to
care for a child, spouse
or parent with a serious health condition and 2 weeks of medical leave for
an employe's serious
health condition.
  The act does not require an employer to pay an employe who is on family
leave or medical
leave, but an employe may substitute other types of paid or unpaid leave
for portions of family
leave or medical leave. The act requires an employer to continue to pay its
share of the premium,
if any, for an employe's health insurance during family leave or medical
leave. However, an
employer may require an employe to deposit an'amount equal to the health
insurance premium
into an escrow account. If the employe leaves his or her job during a period
of family leave or
medical leave or within 30 days after the leave ends, the employer may deduct
from the escrow
account the amount of premiums it paid.
  An employe who believes that his or her rights under the act have been
violated may file a
complaint with DILHR. DILHR must attempt to resolve the matter and, if necessary,
hold a
hearing. The act permits an employe to begin a civil action to collect damages
for any violation
after exhausting administrative review.
                                        Gambling
  Act 119 (SB-336) creates a state lottery. The act:
  1. Establishes an independent, gubernatorily-nominated 5-member Lottery
Board to ad-
minister the lottery.


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