California lawmakers on Thursday advanced what they called commonsense legislation requiring two state agencies to share information aimed at helping stop billions of dollars in pandemic-related unemployment fraud.
The measure, Assembly Bill 110, would require the beleaguered Employment Development Department to crosscheck unemployment applications with inmate records to identify fraudulent claims. The bill cleared its first committee on Thursday.
State officials approved at least $810 million in the names of roughly 45,000 inmates, some of them on death row, according to a state audit in January that put the toll at more than double the amount previously reported by the state. Investigators say overall fraud losses will top at least $11 billion.