BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  AB 2362
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   April 30, 2014

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                  Mike Gatto, Chair

                    AB 2362 (Grove) - As Amended:  April 21, 2014 

          Policy Committee:                               
          InsuranceVote:13-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:              No

           SUMMARY  

          This bill expands code sections under which an unemployment  
          insurance (UI) fraud-related conviction disqualifies an  
          individual for UI benefits.   Specifically, it adds UI-related  
          fraud convictions under Penal Code sections related to forgery,  
          grand theft, and false claims, as well as specified United  
          States code sections.  

          It also requires courts to report UI-related convictions to EDD.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          1)Minor and absorbable costs to the Employment Development  
            Department (EDD) to process additional disqualifications, and  
            minor potential savings to EDD (UI and SDI Trust Funds) by  
            increasing the number of individuals who would be subject to  
            benefit suspension and forfeiture provisions in current law.

          2)Minor and absorbable costs to state courts to report specified  
            convictions to EDD.   

           COMMENTS  

           Purpose  .   This bill seeks to apply consistency by imposing the  
          same 52-week forfeiture penalty against an individual convicted  
          of UI benefit fraud regardless of the federal or state code  
          section used to prosecute the individual.  

          According to the author, if an unemployed worker is prosecuted  
          for UI benefit fraud under a federal or state law other than  
          Unemployment Insurance Code Section 2101, the 52-week benefit  








                                                                  AB 2362
                                                                  Page  2

          forfeiture provision that is imposed for convictions under  
          Section 2101 does not apply.  The author indicates it is  
          relatively common for prosecutors to charge UI fraud based on  
          the Penal Code sections included in this bill instead of using  
          Section 2101.  This results in some of those convicted of UI  
          fraud being subject to UI benefit forfeiture and some not, based  
          on whether the violations were charged under the Penal Code or  
          the Unemployment Insurance Code.

           Analysis Prepared by  :    Lisa Murawski / APPR. / (916) 319-2081