An Act to renumber and amend 106.11; to amend 106.11 (title) and 109.07 (1m) (a); to create 106.11 (1) (title) and (2) of the statutes; Relating to: workforce metrics. (FE)
SB201 would expand Wisconsin’s workforce development reporting requirements. It directs any state agency or authority that operates, coordinates, or oversees a workforce development program or activity to track and report, at least annually, on program performance using the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act’s primary indicators. Those indicators include employment rates after exit, median earnings, credential attainment, measurable skill gains, and employer effectiveness measures.
The bill also broadens the scope of covered programs and activities to include a wide range of state-funded or state-coordinated efforts, such as Transform Milwaukee Jobs, Transitional Jobs, Department of Corrections reentry initiatives, Wisconsin Works, the Department of Children and Families employment and training program, and programs funded directly or indirectly by the American Rescue Plan Act. Agencies would have to publish the data on a single state-maintained website and submit annual reports to legislative committees, with exceptions for minors and information barred from disclosure by federal confidentiality law. The bill also updates the state’s WARN-style layoff notice law to encourage employers to include local workforce board contact information and, if available, a list of local support resources for affected workers.
SB201 would amend s. 106.11 and s. 109.07 (1m) (a) of the Wisconsin statutes. In practical terms, it creates a new statewide performance-reporting framework for workforce development programs, imposes annual data collection and publication duties on state agencies, and requires the Department of Workforce Development to assist agencies with compliance. It also modifies business closing and mass layoff notice requirements so that affected employees may receive additional workforce transition information, including local workforce board contacts and resource lists. The bill would affect state agencies, workforce boards, and participants in publicly funded job training, employment, and reentry programs, while leaving confidentiality protections and minor-related reporting limits intact.
The bill appears to have been framed as a transparency and accountability measure for workforce programs, with an emphasis on measuring outcomes rather than inputs. Because there are no committee transcripts or recorded votes provided, there is no detailed public record here of debate or bipartisan support/opposition. The bill ultimately failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1, indicating it did not complete the legislative process despite being introduced and referred to committee.
The main points of potential contention are the breadth of programs covered and the administrative burden on agencies. The bill reaches beyond traditional workforce training to include corrections reentry efforts, Wisconsin Works, and ARPA-funded activities, which could raise questions about whether a single metrics framework fits all programs. Another likely issue is data availability and privacy: agencies are exempted from reporting on minors and from disclosures that would violate federal confidentiality rules, suggesting concern about the limits of public reporting. Employers may also view the expanded layoff-notice information requirement as an added compliance obligation, even though the bill does not change the 60-day notice rule itself.