Employment Relations

SB 1001 establishes a state-run family and medical leave insurance program requiring employers with 50+ employees to provide up to 14 weeks of paid leave annually for qualifying reasons like caring for a newborn, a seriously ill family member, or a family member on active military duty. The bill creates a dedicated trust fund financed through employee and employer contributions to cover leave benefits and amends statutes to define key terms like "family member" and "serious health condition." It also allows local governments to adopt stricter leave requirements and exempts the program from standard rule-making procedures. This policy directly affects employees seeking leave for family or medical needs and employers meeting the 50-employee threshold.

This bill would modify Wisconsin election procedures by replacing the current method of randomly discarding excess ballots with a system that documents discrepancies and incorporates them into risk-limiting audits. It directly affects election inspectors and canvassers who count ballots, as well as voters whose ballots might be affected by these counting procedures. The key provision eliminates the random removal of excess ballots and instead requires detailed documentation of ballot discrepancies, with audits investigating any discrepancies exceeding 0.5 percent of total ballots cast. The changes would take effect in phases, starting with selected contests in January 2026 and expanding to all elections by April 2027.

This bill would establish ranked-choice voting for certain Wisconsin elections and provides funding to help local governments implement the system. It directly affects voters, election officials, and municipalities by changing how ballots are counted and how ties are resolved. The key provisions allow voters to rank candidates in order of preference, require tie-breaking by lot when candidates receive equal votes, and authorize grants to counties and cities for updating voting equipment and software. The bill also gives municipalities flexibility in combining polling wards to facilitate ranked-choice voting while maintaining separate vote counts for reporting purposes.

SB 949 prohibits carrying firearms within 100 feet of polling places during voting hours (one hour before opening to one hour after closing), defining this as a Class A misdemeanor. It directly affects voters, election workers, and anyone near polling locations during elections. Key exemptions include law enforcement officers, private property owners on their own land, and security personnel acting in their professional duties. The bill creates new criminal penalties for violations, specifically targeting firearm presence at voting sites to enhance polling place safety. This is a policy change focused on election security, not procedural or commemorative.

This bill creates the WisEARNS program, a state-administered retirement savings plan designed for employees who do not have access to an employer-sponsored retirement plan. It establishes a new WisEARNS board attached to the state treasurer, composed of representatives from various sectors including investments, small business, employees, and employers, with specific requirements to ensure diverse expertise and independence from securities dealers. The board will oversee the selection of a vendor to manage the program, which will automatically enroll eligible employees and allow them to make contributions to retirement savings accounts. The legislation also grants the board rule-making authority and includes an appropriation to fund the program's initial implementation.