Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations
Chapter 49 - Public assistance and children and family services.
49.143 - Wisconsin works; agency contracts.

49.143 Wisconsin works; agency contracts.
(1) Awarding contracts.
(a) Except as provided in par. (ar), the department may do any of the following:
1. Award a contract, on the basis of a competitive process approved by the secretary of administration, to any person to administer Wisconsin works in a geographical area determined by the department under sub. (6). The competitive process shall include cost and prior experience criteria.
2. Contract with a Wisconsin works agency to administer Wisconsin works if that agency has met the performance standards established by the department under sub. (3), during the immediately preceding contract period.
(ac)
1. Except for a county department under s. 46.21, 46.22, or 46.23 or a tribal governing body, a person who submits a bid in a competitive process under par. (a) 1. shall include with the proposal a filing fee of $50 and a statement of economic interests that discloses all of the following information:
a. The person's assets and liabilities.
b. The sources of the person's income.
c. All of the person's other clients, as well as a description of the goods or services provided to those clients.
d. The identity of all of the person's subsidiaries, affiliates, and parent companies, if any.
2. Except for a county department under s. 46.21, 46.22, or 46.23 or a tribal governing body, a Wisconsin Works agency that enters into a succeeding contract with the department under par. (a) 2. shall, before executing the succeeding contract, submit to the department a filing fee of $50 and a statement of economic interests that discloses the information specified in subd. 1. a. to d.
3. One year after entering into a contract under par. (a) 1. or 2., a Wisconsin Works agency that is not a county department under s. 46.21, 46.22, or 46.23 or a tribal governing body shall submit to the department a filing fee of $50 and an updated statement of economic interests that discloses the information specified in subd. 1. a. to d.
(ag) A contract entered into under par. (a) 2. shall be for a term of at least 2 years. A Wisconsin works agency may elect not to enter into a contract under par. (a) 2. if the Wisconsin works agency informs the department by the date established by the department that the Wisconsin works agency has made that election. A Wisconsin works agency that has not met the performance standards established by the department under sub. (3) may apply for a contract under the competitive process established under par. (a) 1.
(ar) If the department changes the geographical areas for which a Wisconsin works agency administers Wisconsin works as provided under sub. (6), the department shall award contracts on the basis of the competitive process established by the department under par. (a) 1. regardless of whether a Wisconsin works agency has met the performance standards established by the department under sub. (3) and is eligible to contract with the department under par. (a) 2.
(ay) A county or tribal governing body that enters into a contract under par. (a) but elects not to compete for a subsequent contract under par. (a) 1. shall provide the notice required under this paragraph at least 6 months prior to the expiration of its contract under par. (a). A county or tribal governing body that elects not to enter into a contract under par. (a) 2. or to compete for a contract under par. (ag) shall provide the notice required under this paragraph by the date established by the department, by rule, under par. (ag). The notice shall be provided to all employees of the county or tribal governing body who may be laid off as a result of the county's or tribal governing body's election not to enter into or compete for a contract and to the certified or recognized collective bargaining representatives of such employees, if any. The notice shall inform the employees and the representatives that the county or tribal governing body is making the election not to enter into or compete for a contract; that the employees may be laid off as a result of that election; that the employees may wish to consider forming a private agency to bid on the contract under par. (a) 1.; that the employees may obtain information from the department on the competitive process under par. (a) 1. and the contract requirements under this section; and that the employees may obtain information from the department on steps that the employees might take to organize themselves to form a private agency for the purposes of competing for a contract under par. (a) 1. The department shall provide the information specified in this paragraph upon the request of any employee or collective bargaining representative described in this paragraph.
(b) If no acceptable provider in a geographical area is selected under par. (a), the department shall administer Wisconsin works in that geographical area.
(2) Contract requirements. Each contract under sub. (1) shall contain performance-based incentives established by the department. The contract shall require a Wisconsin works agency to do all of the following:
(a) Establish at least one community steering committee within 60 days after the date on which the contract is signed. A Wisconsin Works agency must establish as many committees as necessary to allow the representation required under subd. 1m. on each committee without exceeding the maximum number of members under subd. 1m. All of the following apply to a community steering committee created under this paragraph:
1m. The Wisconsin Works agency shall appoint the members of the committee within the following parameters:
a. The total number of members on the committee may not exceed 20.
b. Each county that the Wisconsin Works agency serves must be represented on a committee by a member who is a representative of a county department responsible for economic development, of a city department responsible for economic development for a city that is in that county, or of the business community in that county. The Wisconsin Works agency shall appoint at least one representative of business interests as a member of the committee.
2m. The members of the committee shall appoint a chairperson who shall be a person who represents business interests.
3m. The committee may foster and guide the entrepreneurial efforts of participants who are eligible for Wisconsin Works and provide mentors, both from its membership and from recruitment of members of the community, to provide job-related guidance, including assistance in resolving job-related issues and the provision of job leads or references, to persons who are eligible for Wisconsin Works.
4m. The committee shall do all of the following:
a. Advise the Wisconsin works agency concerning employment and training activities.
b. Identify and encourage employers to provide permanent jobs for persons who are eligible for Wisconsin Works.
c. Create, and encourage others to create, subsidized jobs for persons who are eligible for Wisconsin Works.
d. Create, and encourage others to create, work experience opportunities, including supported work experience, for persons who are eligible for Wisconsin Works.
e. Coordinate with local workforce development boards established under 29 USC 2832 to ensure compatibility of purpose and no duplication of effort.
(c) Employ at least one financial and employment planner. The financial and employment planner shall work with a participant to facilitate the participant's achievement of the maximum degree of self-sufficiency. The department shall ensure that a financial and employment planner employed by a Wisconsin works agency meets certification and training requirements established by the department by rule and that appropriate training is provided by a Wisconsin works agency.
(cg) Employ staff, if necessary, to meet the needs of participants who are refugees and who have cultural or linguistic barriers to participation in Wisconsin works.
(cm) If a significant proportion of the population served by the Wisconsin works agency is comprised of a refugee group, employ staff that is proficient in the language of the refugee group to aid the financial and employment planner in locating appropriate employment opportunities that do not require English proficiency for participants who are members of that refugee group.
(cr) Provide, or contract with another person to provide, credit establishment and credit repair assistance to participants. Prior to providing, or contracting with another to provide, the assistance specified under this paragraph, the Wisconsin works agency shall submit a proposed plan for the provision of that assistance to the department.
(d) If the Wisconsin works agency is not a county department under s. 46.215, 46.22 or 46.23 or tribal governing body, cooperate with the county department or tribal governing body to ensure that services delivered under Wisconsin works, the food stamp program and medical assistance are coordinated with the county or tribal governing body in a manner that most effectively serves the recipients of those services.
(em) Determine eligibility for and administer child care assistance under s. 49.155, if the department contracts with the Wisconsin Works agency to do so.
(es) Provide to every individual who requests assistance from the Wisconsin works agency a single-page description of all of the benefits and services that may be provided to any individual by the Wisconsin works agency. The department shall develop the description and distribute it to all Wisconsin works agencies. The department shall update the description as frequently as necessary to reflect all benefits and services that may be offered by Wisconsin works agencies.
(f) Perform any other tasks specified by the department in the contract that the department determines are necessary for the administration of Wisconsin works.
(g) If the Wisconsin Works agency is not a county department under s. 46.21, 46.22, or 46.23 or a tribal governing body, provide to the department, one year after the date on which the contract under sub. (1) was signed, a filing fee of $50 and an updated statement of economic interests that discloses the information specified in sub. (1) (ac) 1. a. to d.
(2m) Nutrition outreach. A Wisconsin works agency may establish a nutrition outreach program with the community steering committee established under sub. (2) (a). The Wisconsin works agency and community steering committee may coordinate with local food pantries and food banks and other interested parties to increase the supply of food available. Under the outreach program, the Wisconsin works agency may do anything that it determines would best effect the desired outcome of the program, including any of the following:
(a) Establish a local drop-off point for donated food.
(b) Establish a hotline for information about the availability of food and the types of food to donate.
(c) Coordinate with volunteer organizations for food collection activities.
(d) Seek ongoing periodic commitments of donations from individuals, businesses, religious associations and civic groups.
(e) Recruit mentor families.
(f) Establish a subcommittee of the community steering committee that includes qualified aliens and that may do any of the following:
1. Develop flyers identifying culture-specific foods and preferred packaging of donated food.
2. Plan meal-oriented social events for mentors and qualified aliens.
(g) Obtain culture-specific food from statewide food banks.
(2r) Job programs. A Wisconsin Works agency shall collaborate with the local workforce development board to connect individuals seeking employment with employment opportunities, including the trial employment match program under s. 49.147 (3).
(3) Performance standards, performance-based payments, and bonuses.
(a) The department shall establish performance standards for the administration of Wisconsin Works. If a Wisconsin Works agency does not meet the standards established under this subsection, the department may withhold or recover any or all payment from the Wisconsin Works agency. Performance standards under this paragraph shall be based on all of the following criteria:
1. The placement of participants in Wisconsin Works employment positions into unsubsidized employment, as defined in s. 49.147 (1).
2. Whether the placement under subd. 1. is full time or part time.
3. The job retention rate, as defined by the department, at periodic intervals after placement of former participants in Wisconsin Works employment positions.
4. Wages and benefits earned by former participants in Wisconsin works employment positions.
5. Appropriate implementation of Wisconsin works.
6. Customer satisfaction.
(b) The department shall create and implement a performance-based payment system for all contracts under this section based on the performance standards established under par. (a).
(c) The department shall base any performance bonus calculation that it makes for Wisconsin Works agencies on the performance criteria established under par. (a). The department may not base any performance bonus payments on caseload decreases, or reduced spending by the Wisconsin Works agency, that are not directly attributable to placement of participants in unsubsidized employment.
(4) Audits. The department may require a Wisconsin works agency to submit to an independent annual audit paid for by the Wisconsin works agency.
(5) Requests for information.
(a) In accordance with rules promulgated by the department, a Wisconsin works agency may request from any person any information that it determines appropriate and necessary for the administration of Wisconsin works. Any person in this state shall provide this information within 7 days after receiving a request under this paragraph. The Wisconsin works agency may extend the 7-day time limit for an individual for whom compliance with that limit would be unduly burdensome, as determined by the agency. The Wisconsin works agency may disclose information obtained under this paragraph only in the administration of Wisconsin works. The Wisconsin works agency shall keep all information that it receives regarding victims of domestic abuse strictly confidential, except to the extent needed to administer Wisconsin works.
(b) The department may request from any Wisconsin works agency any information that the department determines appropriate and necessary for the overall administration of Wisconsin works. A Wisconsin works agency shall provide the department with the requested information in the manner prescribed by the department by rule.
(c) The department may inspect at any time any Wisconsin works agency's records as the department determines is appropriate and necessary for the overall administration of Wisconsin works.
(d) The legislative audit bureau may inspect at any time any Wisconsin works agency's records as the legislative audit bureau determines appropriate and necessary. If, in inspecting a Wisconsin works agency's records, the legislative audit bureau inspects the records of individual participants, the legislative audit bureau shall protect the confidentiality of those records.
(6) Geographical areas. The department shall determine the geographical area for which a Wisconsin Works agency will administer Wisconsin Works. Except for federally recognized American Indian reservations and in counties with a population of 750,000 or more, no geographical area may be smaller than one county. A geographical area may include more than one county. The department need not establish the geographical areas by rule.
History: 1995 a. 216, 289; 1997 a. 27, 36, 236, 318; 1999 a. 9, 32; 2001 a. 16; 2005 a. 25; 2007 a. 20; 2009 a. 28, 333; 2011 a. 32, 257; 2013 a. 20, 225; 2015 a. 55, 172; 2017 a. 266; 2021 a. 238.

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