News of the Day

Wisconsin has been granted a major disaster declaration for the entire state of Wisconsin, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The declaration provides access to Public Assistance programs for all 72 Wisconsin counties and the state’s federally recognized tribes.

“I am grateful for the swift action of the federal government in reviewing our request for a major disaster declaration,” Gov. Evers said. “The assistance granted today will help ensure Wisconsin can gain access to critical assistance as we continue our work to respond to this pandemic.”

Gov. Evers earlier this week requested that the federal government provide the following programs to support the state’s response: Public Assistance, Direct Assistance, Hazard Mitigation (statewide), and certain Individual Assistance programs; Crisis Counseling, Community Disaster Loans and the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Program.

“The state will work with communities across Wisconsin to ensure federal disaster assistance is received as quickly as possible,” said Dr. Darrell L. Williams, Wisconsin Emergency Management administrator. “We are thankful that our partners at FEMA helped to get a quick  response to this request, so we can ensure critical assistance programs are available to communities that are in need.”

The major disaster declaration covers assistance to public entities, and will cover eligible projects submitted by counties, cities, townships, tribes, and certain private, not-for-profit organizations. Local governments in the declared counties are now eligible for federal assistance and should contact county emergency management directors for further information. Under the program, FEMA provides 75 percent of eligible costs, while the remaining 25 percent is the responsibility of state and local agencies.

The IRS expects to start sending an initial wave of economic stimulus payments, worth up to $1,200 apiece, to some 60 million Americans the week of April 13, Treasury Department and IRS officials have told the House Ways and Means Committee.

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and Republican legislative leaders signaled Wednesday that they were making progress toward a state bill to address the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and state Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said they support a temporary repeal of Wisconsin’s one-week waiting period for unemployment benefits, an effort pushed for the past two years by Evers.

The governor also unveiled a new round of proposals he wants the Legislature to consider as part of a legislative session to address the new coronavirus, including a plan that would guarantee the payment of all unemployment benefits and another that would spend $150 million on grants to help small businesses weather the economic storm.

While Evers and Republicans remained far apart on specifics, Vos and Fitzgerald’s comments were noteworthy given their previous opposition to repealing the one-week waiting period, a law signed by former Republican Gov. Scott Walker.

“There is broad support for the temporary suspension of the one-week waiting period for unemployment,” Vos said. “We want to make sure that people have access to those benefits.”

Fitzgerald said the change would likely be retroactive for people who had already applied for unemployment when the federal government increased benefits.

“Absolutely, I would support that,” Fitzgerald said.

Vos said discussions were ongoing about the cutoff date for the retroactive funding.

Yesterday, Governor Tony Evers sent a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requesting that the President issue a major disaster declaration for the entire state of Wisconsin, as a result the COVID-19 pandemic. The request covers all 72 counties and the state’s federally recognized tribes.

“The response to this virus has required a tremendous response from the state and all of its communities that far exceeds the resources currently available to us,” Gov. Evers said. “By seeking this declaration, we are hopeful the state will be able to access critical programs that are needed to deal with the pandemic now, and with the recovery that will be taking place down the road.”

Having determined that Wisconsin met all of the criteria required to receive a major disaster declaration, Governor Evers in his letter requested that the federal government provide the following programs to support the state’s response: Public Assistance, Direct Assistance, Hazard Mitigation (statewide), and certain Individual Assistance programs; Crisis Counseling, Community Disaster Loans and the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Program.

The Department of Workforce Development (DWD) is continuing to urge people to file for unemployment benefits on DWD’s website at dwd.wisconsin.gov/uiben/apply/. The online application process is faster and easier than applying over the phone. Over 98% of the people who have applied through the DWD website have been able to successfully start, complete, and file their claim for unemployment benefits.

DWD is encouraging people to apply online so that the phone lines are open for people who have been specifically instructed to call DWD or for those people who do not have access to a computer or internet.

During the week of March 22, 2020, DWD’s Unemployment Insurance Division (UI) received more than 1.5 million calls, an increase of 6,208% over the busiest weekly call volume. Last Thursday alone, UI received 400,000 calls between 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., at times receiving 160 calls per second. The unprecedented number of calls overloaded the system as it was not built to handle this type of call volume.

DWD is diligently working to increase both staff and technology capacity. The department has increased the number of calls UI is able to send and receive, allowing for 690 simultaneous calls, which is up from the 450 simultaneous calls it was previously able to handle.

Additionally, DWD has increased its staff at the UI call center. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, UI call center consisted of 57 employees. Last week, DWD has temporarily added 35 staff members to help with the call volume, totaling 92 call center workers. DWD has now pulled, and is currently training, 40 staff members from other DWD divisions to assist the call center, and DWD would like to hire an additional 80 staff workers to triage calls for unemployment.

DWD wants to remind the public that the week a person becomes unemployed, that person should file an application for unemployment benefits online. For more information, instructional videos, and to apply, please visit https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/uiben/apply/.

Wisconsin state and local governments could receive more than $2.2 billion from the federal government as part of the $2 trillion stimulus package signed Friday to address the economic fallout caused by the new coronavirus.

The estimate was provided by the Legislature’s nonpartisan budget office Friday, the same day the U.S. House passed and President Donald Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Part of the act sets aside $150 billion in direct aid payments to state and local governments.

According to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, Wisconsin could receive about $2.26 billion of that funding based on its population. About $1.9 billion would go directly to state government, according to the Fiscal Bureau.

The rest of Wisconsin’s direct aid payments would go to local governments with populations greater than a half-million people. They include the city of Milwaukee ($102.7 million), Milwaukee County ($164.5 million) and Dane County ($93.4 million).

The Fiscal Bureau memo suggested it was unclear whether states could use the funding to fill budget shortfalls that result from the coronavirus pandemic. Other outstanding questions include whether the state could use the funding to help cities and counties with populations smaller than a half-million people.

The memo was prepared at the request of Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and Sen. Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau. In a statement released Friday night, Vos said the funding should focus on emergency health care.

The $2 trillion stimulus package passed late Wednesday promises to deliver some help to small businesses devastated by Covid-19.

For small business, one of the more important sections of H.R. 748 is the Paycheck Protection Program. This program gives the SBA the ability to guarantee $350 billion in loans to small businesses via a network of more than 800 banks. The Paycheck program provides eight weeks of cash-flow assistance to small businesses with 500 employees or fewer.

The low-interest loans are meant to cover payroll costs, paid sick leave, supply-chain disruptions, employee salaries, health-insurance premiums, and mortgage payments. The maximum loan amount is $10 million while the interest rate on the loans can’t surpass 4%.

If the employers maintain their payrolls until June, the portion of the loans usedfor payroll costs, interest on mortgage obligations, rent, and utilities would be forgiven.

Self-employed individuals, or those part of the “gig economy,” can access Paycheck loans, as can certain nonprofits, including 501(c)(3) organizations and 501(c)(19) veteran organizations.

The SBA would administer the program once its passed and signed into law.

By a vote of 96-0, the United States Senate passed a massive $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus compromise package just before midnight Wednesday, ending days of deadlock and sending the bill to the House of Representatives — which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said will soon take up the historic measure to bring relief to individuals, small businesses, and larger corporations “with strong bipartisan support.”

The package would provide one-time direct payments to Americans of $1,200 per adult making up to $75,000 a year, and $2,400 to married couples making up to $150,000, with $500 payments per child. After a $75,000 threshold for individuals, the benefit would be reduced by $5 for each $100 the taxpayer makes. A similar $150,000 threshold applies to couples, and a $112,500 threshold for heads of households.

Further, the bill allocates $250 billion to extend unemployment insurance to more workers, and lengthen the duration to 39 weeks, up from the normal 26 weeks. $600 extra a week would be provided for four months.

The final package would additionally provide $349 billion in loans to small businesses — and money spent on rent, payroll and utilities becomes grants that don’t need to be paid back. Many hotels would qualify as small businesses under the plan.

Passenger airlines would receive $25 billion for workers’ “salaries and benefits,” plus up to $25 billion more in loan guarantees and loans. Contract workers would also receive $3 billion in assistance. Airlines would have to agree not to furlough workers until at least the end of September in return.

About $17 billion will go to other distressed companies like Boeing, which is seen as essential to national security. And, approximately $200 billion would be provided in tax assistance to small businesses, including through payroll tax deferrals.

Yesterday, Governor Tony Evers today directed Department of Health Services (DHS) Secretary-designee Andrea Palm to issue a Safer at Home order that prohibits all nonessential travel, with some exceptions as clarified and defined in the order. The order is available here.

The order is effective at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 25, 2020 and will remain in effect until 8:00 a.m. on Friday, April 24, 2020, or until a superseding order is issued.

Individuals do not need special permission to leave their homes, but they must comply with this order as to when it is permissible to leave home. Similarly, if a business is an Essential Business or Operation as defined in this order, it does not need documentation or certification to continue its work that is done in compliance with this order.

Businesses allowed to operate under the Safer at Home order include, but are not limited to:

• Health care operations, including home health workers;

• Critical infrastructure;

• Businesses that provide food, shelter, and social services, and other necessities of life for economically disadvantaged or otherwise vulnerable individuals;

• Fresh and non-perishable food retailers, including convenience stores, grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and food banks;

• Businesses that ship or deliver groceries, food and goods directly to residences;

• Pharmacies, health care supply stores and health care facilities;

• Child care facilities, with some limitations;

• Gas stations and auto repair facilities;

• Banks;

• Laundry businesses, dry cleaners and services necessary for maintaining the safety, sanitation and essential operation of a residence, including garbage collection;

• Hardware stores, plumbers, and electricians; and

• Roles required for any business to maintain minimum basic operations, which includes security, and payroll.

The order contains detailed information regarding the exemptions provided to certain businesses. If a business is unsure about whether or not they are exempted from this order, please contact the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation here.

On Friday, Governor Evers issued updates to the previous order prohibiting mass gatherings of 10 or more people. The updated order maintains the ban on gatherings of 10 or more people and indefinite school closures, but includes some important changes and clarifications:

• Treats bars and restaurants are the same. Bars will be able to have carryout sales of alcohol and food, if allowed by local ordinances and state law. This will help ensure thousands of establishments can stay in business during this unprecedented health emergency.

• Media and news organizations can remain open to provide the public with vital information.

• Laundromats may remain open.

• Banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions may remain open if they practice social distancing.

• All parts of the food delivery system – from farms to stores – may remain open.

• Clarifies that cafeterias in healthcare facilities may remain open to serve our healthcare workers.

• Allied health professions, such as acupuncturists, are unaffected by the mass gathering ban.

• All parts of our transportation system can continue to serve our economy.

• Any facility used for in-person absentee voting or as a polling location may remain open for voting, except for sites at long-term care and assisted care facilities.

• Hair salons, day spas, nail salons, barber shops, tattoo parlors, body art establishments, and tanning facilities must close effective 5 pm on Fri., March 20, 2020.

All gatherings that bring together or are likely to bring together 10 or less people in a single room or confined space, whether inside or outside, at the same time must preserve social distancing and follow all other public health recommendations issued by DHS or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Voluntary cancellation, closure, or limitations on the size of gatherings beyond the requirements of this order are permitted and encouraged.