Wisconsinites have been collecting unemployment checks for 75 years.
Wisconsin lawmakers enacted the Unemployment Compensation Act in 1932 in response to the Great Depression when many people were out of work.
Workforce Development Secretary Roberta Gassman says the Badger State was the first in the country to create such a program, helping to provide the basics of life — food, clothing, shelter — when people are temporarily out of work.
AUDIO: Jackie Johnson report (1:18 MP3)
