Unemployment insurance: policies and practices.

Existing law requires the Employment Development Department to administer a program for the payment of unemployment compensation to the eligible unemployed. Existing law requires the department to periodically review policies and practices used to determine eligibility and benefits that result in delayed eligibility unemployment determinations or benefit payments and that fail to identify or prevent fraud. Existing law makes it a violation of the unemployment insurance law to willfully make a false statement or representation, to knowingly failing to disclose a material fact, or to use a false name, false social security number, or other false identification to obtain, increase, reduce, or defeat any benefit or payment, whether for the maker or for any other person, under specified statutes. Existing law prohibits any employer or employee, officer, or agent of the employer from willfully making false statements or representations, or willfully failing to report a material fact in connection with a separation issue or a written statement concerning reasonable assurance of a claimant's reemployment. Existing law requires the director of the Employment Development Department to assess a penalty of not less than 2 but no more than 10 times the weekly benefit amount of the claimant against the employer or employee, officer, or agent of the employer, as specified. This bill would require specified forms used by the department to administer unemployment insurance claims to require claimants, their employers, or an employee, officer, or agent of the employer, to sign an acknowledgment that they understand they may be subject to penalties under the above provisions. This bill would provide that these signed acknowledgments would not be made under penalty of perjury.