LANSING — Earlier this year, it was revealed that a software malfunction caused the Unemployment Insurance Agency to wrongfully accuse tens of thousands of people of fraud between 2013 and 2015. In response, a bipartisan legislative workgroup was created to assess damage and, where possible, draft policy to rectify the situation. Today, that workgroup introduced its legislation. In response, state Rep. Tim Sneller (D-Burton), issued the following statement:
“I’m glad to see the bipartisan workgroup take the first step to fixing the systemic problems at UIA. These are important bills that will protect Michiganders from wrongful accusations of fraud. However, it is only the first step. This problem won’t be solved until the families affected by the faulty computer system are made whole again. In addition to these bills, the Legislature should pass bills my Democratic colleagues and I introduced to lessen the burden on families dealing with UIA. For instance, my bill would lower the amount of wage garnishment from 50 percent to 20 percent so that people making payments to UIA can still provide for themselves and their families. In the end, the state created this situation, and it is the state’s responsibility to fix it completely.”