LANSING — Today, the Michigan House of Representatives passed a bipartisan package aimed at reforming portions of the state Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) in the wake of its faulty computer system wrongly accusing thousands in the state of fraud. In response to the package, state Rep. Terry J. Sabo (D-Muskegon) issued the following statement:
“I am glad to see this package pass, as we learned this year just how broken the Unemployment Insurance Agency was, and how desperately it needed reform. This package is a good first step. However, I know that more is needed by the families, including many in Muskegon County, who were impacted by this malfunction of state government. For many of the hardworking men and women who were falsely accused of fraud, they not only lost their savings and other accrued benefits, but thousands more in legal fees when fighting the charges. These were innocent people often forced into bankruptcy at an already vulnerable time in their lives. We have a responsibility now to right that wrong, and so House Democrats will continue working for legislation that makes these families whole again.”