LRB-0286/1
MED&GMM:emw&wlj
2015 - 2016 LEGISLATURE
November 3, 2015 - Introduced by Representatives Mason, Sargent, Barnes,
Berceau, Bowen, Brostoff, Considine, Genrich, Goyke, Hebl, Hesselbein,
Johnson, Jorgensen, Kessler, Ohnstad, Riemer, Shankland, Sinicki,
Spreitzer, Subeck, C. Taylor, Young and Zamarripa, cosponsored by Senators
Harris Dodd, C. Larson, Lassa, Miller, Risser, L. Taylor and Wirch.
Referred to Committee on Jobs and the Economy.
AB474,1,3 1An Act to repeal 230.35 (2m); to amend 38.28 (5), 50.05 (7) (h), 103.04 (1),
2111.322 (2m) (a), 111.322 (2m) (b), 111.91 (2) (f), 230.26 (4), 230.35 (2) and 253.10
3(3) (d) 1.; and to create 103.11 of the statutes; relating to: paid sick leave.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Current law
Family and medical leave. Under current law, an employer, including the
state, that employs at least 50 individuals on a permanent basis must permit an
employee who has been employed by the employer for more than 52 consecutive
weeks and who has worked for the employer for at least 1,000 hours during the
preceding 52 weeks to take up to eight weeks of family leave in a 12-month period
and up to two weeks of medical leave in a 12-month period. Family leave may be
taken for the birth or adoptive placement of a new child or to care for a child, spouse,
or parent who has a serious health condition. Medical leave may be taken when the
employee has a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform
the employee's employment duties. An employee is not entitled to receive wages or
salary while taking family or medical leave, but may substitute, for portions of family
or medical leave, other types of paid or unpaid leave provided by the employer.
The bill
Paid sick leave. This bill requires an employer, including the state, that
employs at least one individual full-time or part-time on a permanent or temporary
basis to provide an employee who has been employed by the employer for at least 90
consecutive calendar days with paid sick leave at the employee's regular rate of pay
that the employee may use for any of the following reasons:

1. Because the employee has a physical or mental illness, injury, impairment,
or condition (health condition); is in need of medical diagnosis, care, or treatment of
a health condition; or is in need of preventive medical care.
2. To care for a family member who has a health condition; who is in need of
medical diagnosis, care, or treatment of a health condition; or who is in need of
preventive medical care. The bill defines "family member" as a spouse or domestic
partner of the employee; a parent, child, sibling, including a foster sibling,
brother-in-law, sister-in-law, grandparent, stepgrandparent, or grandchild of an
employee or of an employee's spouse or domestic partner; or any other person who
is related by blood, marriage, or adoption to an employee or to an employee's spouse
or domestic partner and whose close association with the employee, spouse, or
domestic partner makes the person the equivalent of a family member of the
employee, spouse, or domestic partner.
3. Because the employee's absence from work is necessary in order for the
employee to do any of the following:
a. Seek medical attention or obtain psychological or other counseling for the
employee or a family member to recover from any health condition caused by
domestic abuse, sexual abuse, or stalking.
b. Obtain services for the employee or a family member from an organization
that provides services to victims of domestic abuse, sexual abuse, or stalking.
c. Relocate the residence of the employee or of a family member due to domestic
abuse, sexual abuse, or stalking.
d. Initiate, prepare for, or testify, assist, or otherwise participate in any civil or
criminal action or proceeding relating to domestic abuse, sexual abuse, or stalking.
Accrual of paid sick leave. Under the bill, an employee accrues paid sick
leave beginning on the first day of employment at the rate of one hour for each 30
hours worked, subject to a maximum of 72 hours of accrued paid sick leave in a
calendar year, except that if the employee is employed by an employer that employed
fewer than an average of ten employees per week on a permanent or temporary basis
during the preceding calendar year (small business), the employee may accrue a
maximum of 40 hours of paid sick leave in a calendar year. Paid sick leave accrued
carries over from year to year, but an employee may use no more than 72 hours of paid
sick leave in a calendar year or, if the employee is employed by a small business, the
employee may use no more than 40 hours of paid sick leave in a calendar year. An
employee's unused balance of paid sick leave is reduced by one hour for each hour or
portion of an hour of paid sick leave used by the employee and has no cash value on
termination of employment.
Employee rights. Under the bill, an employee has all of the following rights:
1) the right to accrue and use paid sick leave as provided under the bill; 2) the right
not to be subjected to any act prohibited under the bill; 3) the right to file a complaint
with the Department of Workforce Development (DWD) for a violation of the bill and
to inform any person about an alleged violation of the bill; and 4) the right to inform
any person about any of the rights provided under the bill.
Prohibited acts. The bill prohibits all of the following:

1. Interfering with, restraining, or denying the exercise of any of the rights
provided under the bill.
2. Requiring, as a condition of using paid sick leave, that an employee search
for or find a substitute employee to replace the employee while the employee is on
paid sick leave.
3. Imposing unreasonable barriers to the use of paid sick leave or requiring, as
a condition of using paid sick leave, that an employee provide unreasonable
documentation of the health condition of the employee or family member, disclose the
details of that health condition, or disclose any information about the domestic
abuse, sexual abuse, or stalking that necessitated the employee's absence from work.
If an employer obtains any information about that health condition or that domestic
abuse, sexual abuse, or stalking, the employer must keep that information
confidential and may not disclose that information except to the employee or to other
persons with the consent of the employee.
4. Treating paid sick leave used under the bill as an absence from work that
may lead to or result in an adverse employment action; treating the use of such paid
sick leave as a negative factor in hiring, evaluating, or promoting an employee; or
reducing or denying any benefit or privilege of employment because an employee
uses paid sick leave under the bill.
5. Discharging or in any other manner discriminating against any individual
for opposing a practice prohibited under the bill, for filing a complaint or attempting
to enforce any right provided under the bill, or for testifying or assisting in any action
or proceeding to enforce any right provided under the bill.
DWD may order any person who violates any of those prohibitions to take action
to remedy the violation, including providing the requested paid sick leave,
reinstating an employee, providing up to two years of back pay, and paying
reasonable actual attorney fees.
Notice and records. Finally, the bill requires each employer to provide notice
to its employees of the rights of employees under the bill. An employer may comply
with this requirement by: 1) providing each employee with a notice in a form
approved by DWD setting forth in English, Spanish, and Hmong the rights of
employees under the bill; and 2) posting, in one or more conspicuous places where
notices to employees are customarily posted, a notice in a form approved by DWD
setting forth in English, Spanish, and Hmong the rights of employees under the bill.
The bill also requires employers to keep full and accurate records of the number of
hours worked and paid sick leave used by their employees, to retain those records for
five years after the hours are worked or the paid sick leave is used, and to furnish
those records to DWD on request.
For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be
printed as an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
AB474,1
1Section 1. 38.28 (5) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB474,4,112 38.28 (5) State aid shall not be paid to a district for any year, unless every
3teacher, administrator, principal, and supervisor employed by the district during
4that year is under a contract providing for leave of absence by reason of sickness of
5such person, without deduction from salary, for not less than 5 days per year or the
6leave accrued under s. 103.11 (3) (b), whichever is greater,
and for accumulation of
7unused sick leave from year to year to a total of not less than 30 days. No allowance
8may be paid for such absences from teaching or other educational services rendered
9in evening school by any person employed at least 30 hours per week in day school.
10This subsection does not apply Section 103.11, rather than this subsection, applies
11to a person employed by the district board for less than 30 hours per week.
AB474,2 12Section 2. 50.05 (7) (h) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB474,4,2213 50.05 (7) (h) Shall have full power to direct and manage and to discharge
14employees of the facility, subject to any contract rights they may have. The receiver
15shall pay employees at the same rate of compensation, including benefits, that the
16employees would have received from the operator, except that the receiver shall
17compensate employees for time actually worked during the period of receivership
18and may, subject to s. 103.11 (3), reimburse for vacations or periods of sick leave. The
19receiver may grant salary increases and fringe benefits to employees of a nursing
20home, in accord with the facility payment formula under s. 49.45 (6m). Receivership
21does not relieve the operator of any obligation to employees not carried out by the
22receiver.
AB474,3 23Section 3. 103.04 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB474,5,3
1103.04 (1) The commission shall issue its decision in any case where a petition
2for review is filed under ch. 102 or 108 or s. 66.191, 1981 stats., or s. 40.65 (2), 103.11,
3106.52 (4), 106.56 (4), 111.39, 303.07 (7) or 303.21.
AB474,4 4Section 4. 103.11 of the statutes is created to read:
AB474,5,5 5103.11 Paid sick leave. (1) Definitions. In this section:
AB474,5,106 (a) "Adverse employment action" means an action taken by an employer with
7respect to an employee that has the effect, in whole or in part, of a penalty, including
8dismissal or suspension from employment, demotion, denial of a promotion,
9unfavorable transfer or reassignment, reduction in compensation, or denial of
10increased compensation.
AB474,5,1211 (b) "Child" means a natural, adopted, or foster child, a stepchild, or a legal ward
12to whom any of the following applies:
AB474,5,1313 1. The individual is less than 18 years of age.
AB474,5,1614 2. The individual is 18 years of age or older and cannot care for himself or
15herself because of a health condition or is the victim of domestic abuse, sexual abuse,
16or stalking.
AB474,5,1717 (c) "Domestic abuse" has the meaning given in s. 968.075 (1) (a).
AB474,5,1918 (d) "Employee" means an individual employed in this state by an employer,
19except the employer's parent, spouse, domestic partner, or child.
AB474,5,2520 (e) "Employer" means a person engaging in any activity, enterprise, or business
21in this state employing one or more persons full-time or part-time on a permanent
22or temporary basis. "Employer" includes the state and any office, department,
23independent agency, authority, institution, association, society, or other body in state
24government created or authorized to be created by the constitution or any law,
25including the legislature and the courts.
AB474,6,8
1(f) "Family member" means a spouse or domestic partner, as defined in s. 40.02
2(21c) or 770.01 (1), of an employee; a parent, child, sibling, including a foster sibling,
3brother-in-law, sister-in-law, grandparent, stepgrandparent, or grandchild of an
4employee or of an employee's spouse or domestic partner; or any other person who
5is related by blood, marriage, or adoption to an employee or to an employee's spouse
6or domestic partner and whose close association with the employee, spouse, or
7domestic partner makes the person the equivalent of a family member of the
8employee, spouse, or domestic partner.
AB474,6,109 (g) "Health condition" means a physical or mental illness, injury, impairment,
10or condition.
AB474,6,1311 (h) "Parent" means a natural parent, foster parent, adoptive parent,
12stepparent, or legal guardian of an employee or of an employee's spouse or domestic
13partner.
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