Chippewa Valley Times

A new bill authored by State Rep. David Armstrong in the Wisconsin Assembly seeks to establish a standard response time for employers to provide information related to unemployment insurance claims, according to the Wisconsin State Assembly.

According to the Wisconsin State Legislature's official website, the bill was described as follows: "requests for information from employers about unemployment insurance claims".

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill mandates that the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) provide employers with a minimum of 12 business days to respond to an initial request for information regarding unemployment insurance benefit claims. Under the current rules, employers must supply details about employment separations, work dates, wages, and other possibly disqualifying factors to aid in determining eligibility for unemployment benefits. The bill aims to create a standard response time for employers, ensuring they have adequate time to gather and submit the necessary information. This requirement will first apply to claims filed for the week starting on or after the bill's effective date.

The bill was co-authored by Senator Rob Hutton (Republican-5th District), Representative Robert Brooks (Republican-59th District), Representative Barbara Dittrich (Republican-99th District), Representative Benjamin Franklin (Republican-88th District), Representative Rick Gundrum (Republican-58th District). It was co-sponsored by Senator Chris Kapenga (Republican-33rd District), Senator Steve L. Nass (Republican-11th District), and Senator Cory Tomczyk (Republican-29th District), along seven other co-sponsors.

David Armstrong has co-authored or authored another 36 bills since the beginning of the 2025 session, with none of them being enacted.

Armstrong, a Republican, was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2025 to represent the state's 67th Assembly district, replacing previous state representative Rob Summerfield.

In Wisconsin, the legislative process starts when a senator, constituent, group, or agency proposes an idea for a bill. After drafting, the bill is introduced, numbered, and referred to a committee for review and public input. If approved, it moves through three readings and votes in both the Senate and Assembly. Once both chambers pass the same version, the bill goes to the governor, who can sign it, veto it, or let it become law without a signature. Only a small share of bills introduced each session ultimately become law. You can learn more about the Wisconsin legislative process here.

Bill Number	Date Introduced	Short Description
AB146	03/17/2025	Requests for information from employers about unemployment insurance claims
AB133	03/13/2025	Investment securities under the Uniform Commercial Code
AB107	03/11/2025	Conversion of cooperative associations organized to establish and operate nonprofit plans or programs for health care into service insurance corporations
AB82	02/28/2025	Exempting certain conveyances between grandparents and grandchildren from the real estate transfer fee. (FE)
AB70	02/24/2025	A disclaimer of parental rights and payments allowed in connection with an adoption
AB64	02/24/2025	An income tax subtraction for certain expenses paid by a school teacher. (FE)
AB63	02/24/2025	Financing the operating costs and certain out-of-state projects of nonprofit institutions and compensation of employees of the Wisconsin Health and Educational Facilities Authority. (FE)
AB59	02/24/2025	The use of federal capitalization grant funds for lead service line replacement. (FE)
AB53	02/24/2025	Special circumstances battery to a community service officer and providing a penalty
AB41	02/17/2025	Local regulation of vegetable gardens
AB35	02/17/2025	Withdrawal of candidacy for certain offices filled at the general election and providing a penalty. (FE)
AB21	02/06/2025	Technical colleges’ lease of their facilities to others. (FE)
AB12	02/06/2025	State agency status for certain physician assistants and advanced practice nurses who provide services without compensation for local health departments or school districts. (FE)