A Democratic senator is pushing a plan that would legalize welfare fraud in California for minor administrative mistakes under $25,000.
In February, state senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas filed Senate Bill 560, which would eliminate criminal penalties for welfare fraud under $25,000 and remove a provision that would impose criminal penalties for any attempt at benefit fraud under $950.
“California’s safety net should lift families up, not trap them in poverty,” Smallwood-Cuevas told Fox News Digital. “Right now, a missed deadline or paperwork mistake can lead to felony charges that tear families apart — even when there’s no intent to deceive.”
The legislator stated that the legislation “offers a smarter, more humane approach by allowing counties to resolve most overpayment cases administratively, holding people accountable without criminalizing poverty.”
A hearing on the legislation is scheduled for May 5.
According to the measure, a county agency would have to decide if the welfare benefits were approved because of a mistake in the Statewide Automated Welfare System (CalSAWS).
According to the measure, it would forbid someone from facing criminal charges in specific situations for overpaying or overissuing benefits.
“This bill is about keeping families out of the criminal justice system from making administrative errors on raising the threshold for welfare fraud prosecutions,” Smallwood-Cuevas said in an April 8 Instagram post.
According to the California Department of Social Services, the majority of welfare fraud happens when the reported absent parent is actually living in the house, when income is not reported, or when an ineligible kid or children who are not living in the home but are involved in the recipient’s case are used.
According to the Department of Public Social Services, field investigators in Los Angeles County deal with between 15,000 and 20,000 fraud cases or referrals.
Between 5,000 and 8,000 examples of fraud are discovered by investigators each year. 95% of the 200 cases that are referred to the office of the Los Angeles County District Attorney end in a conviction.
