EMPLOYMENT LAW NEWS
Legislative Scoop: Key Employment Law Updates from Minnesota, North Carolina, and Wisconsin
By Grant Larson, Compliance Paralegal
Employment Law and Compliance
Published February 10, 2026
This month’s update highlights pending employment law developments in Minnesota, North Carolina, and Wisconsin that could impact unemployment insurance, including proposed employer penalties, benefit increases, and expanded employee disqualification standards.
Each month, GovDocs’ Employment Law & Compliance Team provides the scoop on key bills making their way through the legislative process. Below are three state bills that could impact unemployment insurance, if enacted, in Minnesota, North Carolina, and Wisconsin.
Minnesota
At the end of their last legislative session in May of 2025, Minnesota tabled SB 1832 for the start of their next legislative session, which resumes this month. This bill is an omnibus bill, containing multiple sections relating to jobs and labor economic development. The part we are specifically monitoring at GovDocs is Article 7 of the bill.
One noteworthy update includes a penalty for an employer that knowingly assists an employee in applying for unemployment benefits when they are not eligible, set at the greater of $500 or 100% (currently 50%) of the benefits received. Additionally, a new unemployment benefits program was created for iron ore mining in the State of Minnesota.
North Carolina
Similar to Minnesota, North Carolina also had an omnibus bill that was passed in both chambers at the end of their last legislative session, which did not reach the governor’s desk. But the section that employers (and employees) should monitor is the “Increase UI Max Benefit” section of the bill, which proposes updating the weekly benefit for unemployment insurance to $450 a week. That is a $100 increase from the current amount of $350.
This bill is stuck in the conference committee currently, and it is unknown at this time if it will be moved when the North Carolina session starts up again.
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Wisconsin
Lastly, we will take a trip back to the upper Midwest and examine a bill making its way through the Wisconsin state legislature, AB 167. This bill, which got its third reading on 1/21/2026, is not an omnibus bill and much shorter than the ones above. But it still has substance. There are two amendments in this bill that will affect someone’s ability to receive unemployment insurance: first, a provision about an employee stealing confidential information, and second, a provision about termination regarding an employee being absent from work.
The first provision discusses the theft or unauthorized possession of confidential information or financial information that an employee makes. The bill removes the requirement that it needs to be intentional for an employee to be ineligible to receive unemployment insurance.
The second provision is that if an employee is absent from work for more than two occasions, which is not excused, after receiving a termination notice 120 days out, they are ineligible to receive unemployment insurance. This section was added in the section about whether an employee has valid reasons to be absent, and if they provide notice to their employer ahead of time, they can receive unemployment insurance.
Finally, the bill expands the types of misconduct that would make an employee disqualified from receiving benefits for seven weeks, including termination for violating an employer’s policy on employee absenteeism, tardiness, or substantially job-related social media use.
Conclusion
The bills referenced above are all pending and may or may not survive the final steps in the legislative process. As such, employers should keep an eye on these jurisdictions to watch for any potential new requirements in the event any of these pending bills are passed into law. To stay informed as these developments unfold, subscribe to GovDocs Employment Law News to keep track of future updates.
This Employment Law News blog is intended for market awareness only, it is not to be used for legal advice or counsel.
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