A bill that will be made under $25,000 in California will be a simple administrative mistake to be made by Democratic lawmakers.
Under the regulations, state senators have introduced Senate Bill No. 560, which would remove criminal penalties for welfare fraud under $25,000 and remove a provision for criminal penalties.
“California’s safety net should improve families, not get stuck in poverty,” Wood-Kuvas Jr. told Fox News Digital. “Currently, missed deadlines or paperwork errors can lead to felony charges that can tear the family apart even if they are unintentionally deceived.”
Legislators said the bill “has allowed people to resolve most payment cases without committing crimes by allowing counties to administratively resolve most payment cases.”
We are members of the House of Representatives Freedom Caucus. The United States must choose: $20 trillion in debt or Medicaid reform
Image of California Electronic Welfare Transfer (EBT) debit card used to purchase food at participating grocery stores. (Los Angeles County Public Social Services Department)
The legislation is scheduled to be held on May 5.
The bill would require county agencies to determine that benefits are authorized due to statewide automated welfare systems (CALSAWS) errors.
The bill states that this would prohibit a person from being criminally prosecuted for overpayment or excessive gain in certain circumstances.
"The bill aims to remove families from the criminal justice system to avoid administrative errors in raising the threshold for prosecution of welfare fraud," Smallwood-Cuevas said in an Instagram post on April 8.
Los Angeles issued only 4 permits to rebuild homes after the devastating Palisade fire: Report
State Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas addressed the media in front of Starbucks Coffee on Central Street in downtown Los Angeles. Democratic lawmakers are introducing a bill that will allow welfare fraud to be less than $25,000 in welfare fraud due to administrative errors. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
According to the California Department of Social Services, most welfare fraud occurs when parents who report absentee actually live in the family, use unqualified children, or do not reside in part of the recipient's case, according to the California Department of Social Services.
In Los Angeles County, field investigators handle 15,000 to 20,000 fraud cases or referrals, according to the Department of Public Social Services.
Local shops with EBT, e-benefit transfer accept logos. (Photographer: Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images via Getty Images group)
Click here to get the Fox News app
Each year, investigators find fraud in about 5,000 to 8,000 cases. Of these, 200 cases were taken to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, and 95% of them resulted in convictions.