Wisconsin Assembly Passes Bill To Update Unemployment System

MADISON, WI — The Wisconsin Assembly unanimously passed a bill Tuesday that aims to fix the state's outdated unemployment system, according to Wisconsin Public Radio.

The bipartisan legislation awaits Gov. Tony Evers' signature after it passed the Assembly in an 89 to 0 vote. Last week it passed the Senate with a 27 to 3 vote.

The bill would direct the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development to use federal dollars to upgrade the unemployment system before seeking any state money, the station reported.

Evers has blamed a backlog of Wisconsin's unemployment claims on a 50-year-old computer system used to process them while Republicans claimed it was government mismanagement, according to WPR.

In addition to the system upgrades, the bill will also waive the state's one-week waiting period for unemployment benefits and provide legal protection for schools and business who are sued over COVID-19 violations.

Visit WPR’s website to read the full story on the unemployment bill.