Senate Commerce Committee advances bill tightening penalties for unemployment insurance fraud

The Senate Commerce Committee voted to send House Bill 53 to the full Senate with a recommendation that it "do pass" after a presentation by Janie Revere, director of the Idaho Department of Labor.

Janie Revere, director of the Idaho Department of Labor, told the committee the bill updates the state's statutes addressing claimants who commit unemployment insurance fraud, including moving key legal definitions into statute and strengthening penalties. "This bill identifies identity theft and makes it a crime to use stolen identity to apply for UI benefits," Revere said, adding the proposal allows for restitution to victims and creates stiffer administrative consequences for repeat offenders.

The bill makes four principal changes, according to Revere: it codifies definitions of "knowingly" and "willfully" into statute; it…