By State Rep. Brent Jacobson
Whenever I speak with local business owners, the number one issue they tell me they are facing is finding employees. It is critical that we make sure everyone who is able to work has the skills and resources to find a fulfilling, family-supporting job.
Unfortunately, not everyone in our state government is serious about getting people back into the workforce. Wisconsin’s current Unemployment Insurance (UI) system was designed to help those who have been laid off find new work. However, we have seen democrats attempt to use UI to pay people to stay home and not work. This is not what our UI system was designed for, and I have introduced a bill to get UI back on track.
Under my bill, Wisconsin would get serious about helping people go back to earning a paycheck instead of an unemployment check. For starters, it renames UI to “Reemployment Assistance”, emphasizing that this program is to help people reenter the workforce. Under the Reemployment Assistance program, a person claiming benefits would have to upload a resume on the Wisconsin Job Center website. Every week, a claimant would have to make four work search actions, at least two of which must be direct contacts with employers who are hiring.
Reemployment Assistance would also make sure that people looking for work have the counseling and soft skills they need to be successful. All claimants would take an online assessment, and would be directed to training modules based on their results. Additionally, the state would use their resume to send them weekly job referrals based on their skills and experience. In order to continue receiving benefits, a claimant would have to show that they followed up on one of these referrals.
Along with several other bills to increase our state’s workforce and fix UI, my bill will be receiving a vote on the Assembly floor this week. I look forward to voting for these bills, and working to get them through the State Senate and on to the Governor’s desk!
Those who cannot make it to one of the listening sessions can reach my office at Rep.Brent.Jacobson@legis.wisconsin.gov, or by calling (608) 237-9187.
UPDATE: Assembly Republicans pass legislation to help Wisconsin get back to work
On April 23, Assembly Republicans voted to pass a package of bills to address Wisconsin’s workforce challenges. These bills would stimulate our economy by reducing fraud and helping Wisconsinites who have lost their job reenter the workforce. State Representative Brent Jacobson (R – Mosinee) is the author of AB 164, one of the bills in this package.
“Unemployment insurance was designed to help people who lose their job at no fault of their own find new employment,” said Rep. Jacobson. “Unfortunately, at the same time that businesses across our state are struggling to find workers, Unemployment Insurance has turned into a system to pay people not to work. The reforms in AB 164 will enable unemployed Wisconsinites to return to the workforce sooner, filling critical openings and helping people earn the best kind of check there is: a stable paycheck.”
Under Reemployment Assistance, claimants would receive greater support to make their job search successful. Additionally, they would have to make four work search actions per week, at least two of which must be direct contacts with employers who are hiring.
“By passing my bill, as well as the others in this package, my colleagues and I are sending a clear message to our constituents,” said Rep. Jacobson. “We are serious about tackling fraud, eliminating mismanagement, and getting Wisconsinites back into the workforce.”
