Assemblyman Smitty Smith News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

California lawmakers propose slate of reforms at state's troubled unemployment agency Patrick McGreevy © (Associated Press) California lawmakers have proposed 20 pieces of legislation to change the way the beleaguered state Employment Development Department operates. (Paul Sakuma / Associated Press) After a pair of scathing audits confirmed California's troubled unemployment agency has been plagued by years of mismanagement, state lawmakers on Thursday announced a raft of new bills to speed up the payment of jobless benefits and reduce fraud. The package of bills proposed b...

The state auditor’s report was ordered by lawmakers who criticized California’s unemployment agency for a backlog of claims and failing to prevent widespread fraud. Bay Area resident Laurel Carter joined the lawmakers’ event, saying her legitimate claim was suspended in mid-December with “no other explanation given.” She had difficulty uploading documents to prove her identity and was told she would have a five-hour wait to talk to a representative for help. Advertisement “I slept with my computer on for eight days just thinking that maybe in the middle of the night I would hear a...