MADISON, WI (WSAU) — On a 6-4 party lines vote, lawmakers in Madison have reinstated a rule requiring those receiving unemployment benefits to prove they are trying to find a job.
The vote by the Legislative Rules Committee threw out Emergency Rule 2106- which was signed by Governor Evers during the height of COVID-19 related lockdowns when businesses were shedding jobs at rates that haven’t been seen since the Great Depression, pushing the state’s unemployment rate to 14.1%. It has since come down to 3.9%, according to data for April that was released on Thursday.
The vote was all that was required to throw out the order. Lawmakers say it could take effect as soon as next week. It had the backing of some in the state’s business community such as Greater Wausau Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Dave Eckmann, who encouraged the Chambers members to support the proposal in an email earlier this week.
Eckmann said throwing the rule out would be an “impactful and immediate action lawmakers can take to help get able-bodied individuals off the sidelines and back into the workforce.”
GOP leadership in Madison is also considering a measure that would roll back the added $300 per week unemployment boost, saying it makes employers compete with the government for workers. A hearing on that bill could come by next week; it’s unclear if Governor Evers would sign it.
