230.04 Powers and duties of the administrator.

(1) The administrator is charged with the effective administration of this chapter. All powers and duties, necessary to that end, which are not exclusively vested by statute in the commission, the division of equal rights, the director or appointing authorities, are reserved to the administrator.

(1m) The administrator may delegate, in writing, any of his or her functions set forth in this chapter to an appointing authority, within prescribed standards if the administrator finds that the agency has personnel management capabilities to perform such functions effectively and has indicated its approval and willingness to accept such responsibility by written agreement. If the administrator determines that any agency is not performing such delegated function within prescribed standards, the administrator shall forthwith withdraw such delegated function. Subject to the approval of the joint committee on finance, the administrator may order transferred to the division from the agency to which delegation was made such agency staff and other resources as necessary to perform such functions if increased staff was authorized to that agency as a consequence of such delegation or if the division reduced staff or shifted staff to new responsibilities as a result of such delegation. Any delegatory action taken under s. 230.09 (2) (a) or (d) or 230.13 (1) by an appointing authority may be appealed to the commission under s. 230.44 (1) (b). The administrator shall be a party in such an appeal.

(2) The administrator may utilize the services of technical or specialized personnel to assist in implementing and maintaining a sound personnel management program. These services may be obtained from persons inside or outside of state service.

(3) The administrator may issue enforceable orders on all matters relating to the administration, enforcement and effect of this chapter and the rules prescribed thereunder except on matters relating to the provisions of subch. III or to those provisions of subch. II for which responsibility is specifically charged to the director.

(4) The administrator shall establish and maintain a collective bargaining capability under s. 111.815 (2).

(5) The administrator shall promulgate rules on all matters relating to the administration of the division and the performance of the duties assigned to the administrator, except on matters relating to those provisions of subch. II for which responsibility is specifically charged to the director.

(8) The administrator shall establish an employee performance evaluation program under s. 230.37 (1).

(9) The administrator shall do all of the following:

(a) Establish standards for affirmative action plans to be prepared by all agencies and applied to all employees in and applicants for employment in the unclassified and classified services, except for state officers elected by the people. The standards shall state the time periods within which these plans shall be prepared.

(b) Review and approve or disapprove any affirmative action plan prepared by an agency to ensure compliance with the standards established under par. (a), and send any approved affirmative action plan to the governor with comments.

(c) Monitor, evaluate and make recommendations to each agency to improve its progress toward providing equal opportunity to employees, applicants for employment and clients of the agency.

(d) Provide each agency with technical assistance in exploring and implementing innovative personnel policies in compliance with standards established under par. (a).

(e) Annually, prepare and submit to the governor and the legislature a summary of existing agency affirmative action program accomplishments, including the information obtained from agencies under sub. (10) (b), future goals and recommended actions.

(em) Annually, prepare and submit to the governor and the legislature a summary of the progress being made to provide employment opportunities in civil service for veterans under this chapter, including the information obtained from agencies under sub. (10) (c).

(f) Establish an affirmative action subunit. The affirmative action subunit shall advise and assist the director, the administrator, and agency heads on establishing policies and programs to ensure appropriate affirmative action. The subunit shall advise and assist the administrator in monitoring such programs and shall provide staff to the council on affirmative action.

(9m) The administrator shall conduct periodic reviews and evaluations of the written records of hiring decisions made by appointing authorities under ss. 230.21 (1m), 230.25 (1p) and 230.27 (2k).

(9r)

(a) In this subsection:

1. “Independent" means the extent to which persons with disabilities exert control and choice over their own lives.

2. “Severely disabled employee" means an employee in the classified service with a chronic disability if the chronic disability meets all of the following conditions:

a. It is attributable to a mental or physical impairment or combination of mental and physical impairments.

b. It is likely to continue indefinitely.

c. It results in substantial functional limitations in one or more of the following areas of major life activity: self-care; receptive and expressive language; learning; mobility; capacity for independent living; and economic self-sufficiency.

(b) The administrator shall keep a record of all of the following:

1. The number of severely disabled employees and the percentage of severely disabled employees of the total number of employees in the classified service.

2. The number of severely disabled employees hired in each calendar year and the percentage of severely disabled employees among all persons hired in the classified service in that year.

(10)

(a) The administrator may require all agencies and their officers to comply with the administrator's request to furnish current information pertaining to authorized positions, payroll and related items regarding civil service and employment relations functions.

(b) The administrator shall request from each agency and each agency shall furnish to the administrator relevant racial, ethnic, gender and disability information on every new employee hired by the agency including limited term, project, seasonal and sessional employees. The administrator shall maintain the data to permit a periodic review of the agency's affirmative action plan accomplishments.

(c) The administrator shall request from each agency and each agency shall furnish to the administrator relevant information regarding the prior military service, if any, of every new employee hired by the agency including limited term, project, seasonal and sessional employees. The administrator shall maintain the data to permit a periodic review of the progress being made to provide employment opportunities in civil service for veterans and disabled veterans.

(11) The administrator may provide by rule for an understudy program to assure continuity in selected positions.

(12) The administrator shall keep in the division an official roster of all permanent classified employees which shall include classification titles, pay and employment status changes and appropriate dates thereof.

(13) The administrator shall do all of the following:

(a) Establish standards for plans to increase state employment of recipients of aid under s. 49.19 or benefits under s. 49.147 (3) to (5) prepared by agencies under s. 230.147 (1). The standards shall state the time periods within which these plans shall be prepared.

(b) Review and approve or disapprove plans prepared under s. 230.147 (1) to ensure compliance with the standards established under par. (a).

(c) Monitor, evaluate and make recommendations to agencies to improve progress toward meeting the goal in s. 230.147 (1).

(e) On or before September 30 annually beginning in 1989, prepare and submit to the chief clerk of each house of the legislature for distribution to the legislature under s. 13.172 (2) a report that includes all of the following information for the fiscal year preceding the date that the report is due:

1. A description of each agency's effort during that fiscal year to employ under s. 230.147 persons who received aid under s. 49.19 or benefits under s. 49.147 (3) to (5).

2. The number of persons receiving aid under s. 49.19 or benefits under s. 49.147 (3) to (5) who were employed by each agency under s. 230.147 during that fiscal year and the job title or classification of each position filled under s. 230.147.

(13m) The administrator shall establish standards for progressive discipline plans to be prepared by all agencies and applied to all employees in the classified service. The standards shall address progressive discipline for personal conduct and work performance that is inadequate, unsuitable, or inferior. The standards established under this subsection shall allow an appointing authority to accelerate progressive discipline if the inadequacy, unsuitability, or inferiority of the personal conduct or work performance for which an employee is being disciplined is severe.

(14) Except as provided in s. 230.445, the administrator shall establish, by rule, the scope and minimum requirements of a state employee grievance procedure relating to conditions of employment.

(15) The administrator shall review and either approve or disapprove each determination by an agency head regarding the classification of a state employee as a protective occupation participant for purposes of the Wisconsin retirement system.

(17) The administrator shall resolve any dispute raised by a complaint filed under s. 321.64 (1) (c).

(18) The administrator may provide any services and materials to agencies and may charge the agencies for providing the services and materials. The administrator shall establish a methodology for determining the costs of services and materials charged to state agencies under this subsection. All moneys received from the charges shall be deposited in the appropriation account under s. 20.505 (1) (kz).

(19) The administrator shall develop and implement a discretionary merit award program to distribute money under s. 20.928 (1f) to agencies for the purpose of providing lump sum monetary awards to classified employees whose job performance has exceeded agency expectations.

History: 1977 c. 196 ss. 48, 63, 101, 130 (11); 1977 c. 418, 447; 1981 c. 20; 1983 a. 27, 409; 1987 a. 27, 32, 140, 403; 1989 a. 31, 124; 1991 a. 101, 269, 288, 315; 1995 a. 289; 1997 a. 27; 1999 a. 87; 2003 a. 33; 2005 a. 22; 2007 a. 200; 2009 a. 28; 2011 a. 10; 2015 a. 55, 150.

The department of employment relations (DER) had no authority to control the recruitment process after certification. It was proper to dismiss DER as a party to an action alleging discrimination in failing to hire a candidate who had been certified for the position. Balele v. Wisconsin Personnel Commission, 223 Wis. 2d 739, 589 N.W.2d 418 (Ct. App. 1998), 98-1432.