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The bill decriminating welfare fraud under $25,000 in California due to simple administrative mistakes is being pushed by Democrats.
State Sen. Laura Smallwood Quevas introduces Senate Bill 560, which removes criminal penalties for welfare fraud under $25,000, and removes provisions for criminal penalties for welfare fraud attempts under $950.
“California safety nets need to lift families without locking them in poverty,” Smallwood-Cuevas told Fox News Digital. “Now, if you don’t intend to deceive by missing a deadline or a mistake in your paperwork, it could lead to a felony charge that tears your family apart.”
The lawmaker said the bill “provides a smarter, more humane approach by allowing the county to manageably resolve most overpaid cases, and holds people accountable without criminalizing poverty.”
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Images of California Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) debit cards used to purchase food at participating grocery stores. (Los Angeles County Public Social Services Bureau)
The law is set for a hearing on May 5th.
The bill requires county agencies to determine whether welfare benefits have been approved as a result of a statewide automated welfare system (CALSAWS) error.
The bill would prohibit the subject of criminal prosecution in certain instances due to overpayment of benefits or overpaying or overissue of excess benefits, the bill said.
“The bill is to raise the threshold for welfare fraud prosecution so families don’t make administrative mistakes from the criminal justice system,” Smallwood-Cuevas said in an Instagram post on April 8th.
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State Sen. Laura Smallwood Quevas addressed the media in front of Starbucks Coffee on Central Avenue in downtown Los Angeles. Democrats are pushing for bills that decriminate welfare fraud under $25,000 due to administrative errors. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
According to the California Department of Human Services, most welfare frauds occur when reported absent parents actually live in their homes and use inappropriate or ineligible children or children who do not live in their homes.
In Los Angeles County, field investigators handle between 15,000 and 20,000 fraud cases or referrals, according to the Department of Public Social Welfare.
Local stores with signs where EBT, electronic benefit transfers are accepted. (Photo: Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group Getty Images)
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Each year, investigators find fraud in about 5,000-8,000 lawsuits. Of these, 200 cases will be sent to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, with 95% convicted.
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