May
28
2021
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Senate Republicans announce the passage of Senate Bill 39, Senate Bill 58, and Senate Bill 390 by the Senate. These bills address some of the critical lapses in security at California’s Employment Development Department that have contributed to the rampant fraud in unemployment insurance claims this last year. Senate Republicans have made it a priority to correct some of the glaring issues at the agency that resulted in billions of dollars in fraud and ensure the agency is better prepared for the next economic downturn. These include:
- SB 39, authored by Republican Senator Shannon Grove, would require the EDD to cross check prison inmate records with unemployment claims to prevent benefits from going to prisoners.
- SB 390 would require the EDD to establish and routinely revise a recession plan to increase the department’s efficiency during an economic downturn. Republican Leader Scott Wilk, Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, Senator Brian Jones, Senator Melissa Melendez, and Senator Jim Nielsen are co-authors of SB 390.
- Senate Bill 58, authored by Republican Leader Wilk, would require the EDD to immediately end the practice of including full social security numbers on its most frequently mailed documents. SB 58 passed the Senate earlier this month and is in the California State Assembly awaiting consideration.
- SB 232, authored by Republican Senator Nielsen, would implement the State Auditor’s recommendations with regard to fraud at EDD. It is scheduled for a floor vote in early June.
“Government completely failed its unemployed citizens this past year and now the governor has failed to prioritize fixing the problems in his budget. It is just heartbreaking to hear from families teetering on the edge simply because their claims are lost in some bureaucratic black hole. These issues need to be addressed and corrected as soon as possible to ensure they do not happen again," said Senate Republican Leader Scott Wilk (R-Santa Clarita).