{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.bennet.senate.gov/2024/07/10/press-releases-id-28b79749-17d1-49ef-ba79-97c73ef4baf5/", "Bennet, Wyden, Crapo Introduce Bill to Improve Unemployment Insurance Programs", "2024-07-10", "2024", "2024-07", "Democrat", "Senate", "CO", "Michael F. Bennet", "B001267", "www.bennet.senate.gov", "bennet", "https://www.bennet.senate.gov/news/page/", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2014 Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet alongside U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), and nine of their Senate colleagues introduced the Unemployment Insurance Integrity and Accessibility Act to improve the nation\u2019s unemployment insurance system.\n\n\u201cToo many Americans struggle to access essential unemployment benefits as they navigate a patchwork of outdated state systems,\u201d said Bennet. \u201cOur bipartisan bill strengthens unemployment systems across the country to help American workers stay afloat during difficult times.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Covid-19 pandemic showed that unemployment insurance systems were too often unable to keep up with the needs of American workers and too vulnerable to fraud,\u201d said Wyden and Crapo. \u201cThis bipartisan bill will go a long way to making the UI system more accessible to workers who need it and protecting taxpayer dollars by recouping and preventing fraud.\u201d\n\nThe COVID-19 pandemic revealed that states\u2019 Unemployment Insurance (UI) programs were both difficult for workers to access and vulnerable to fraud. The Unemployment Insurance Integrity and Accessibility Act would prevent future UI fraud and help ensure those who defrauded the system during the pandemic are brought to justice. It would also provide relief for claimants who were overpaid and cannot afford repayment or face other hardships, and take steps to make UI systems more accessible to eligible workers.\n\nSpecifically, the legislation addressing fraud and overpayment, strengthening program integrity, and investing in up-to-date technology, including by:\n\nExtending the federal statute of limitations for pandemic unemployment insurance fraud to 10 years (from 5 years under current law);\n\nRequiring states to crossmatch unemployment compensation claims against the National Directory of New Hires (NDNH) to prevent claimants from collecting UI if they are working;\n\nRequiring states to utilize systems such as the State Information Data Exchange (SIDES) to allow electronic transmission of accurate claim information between employers and states;\n\nRequiring states to use crossmatching systems such as the Integrity Data Hub (IDH) to identify potentially fraudulent unemployment claims;\n\nRequiring states to crossmatch unemployment compensation claims against the Social Security Administration\u2019s prisoner database to prevent fraud;\n\nImplementing new access and technology requirements for online claim filing systems and in-person alternatives;\n\nRequiring states to provide guidance to employers to facilitate their eligible workers\u2019 access to benefits; and\n\nProviding for oversight of federal investments into the administration of UI programs.\n\nIn October 2023, Bennet and Wyden introduced the Unemployment Insurance Modernization and Recession Readiness Act to update and expand unemployment insurance to better meet the needs of the modern workforce and more effectively respond during times of economic crisis.\n\nIn addition to Bennet, Wyden and Crapo, U.S. Senators James Lankford (R-Okla.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) also sponsored the bill.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:32:29Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.bennet.senate.gov/2024/07/10/press-releases-id-28b79749-17d1-49ef-ba79-97c73ef4baf5/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4970500487834215, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}