The Senate voted along party lines 18-14 to increase the penalties for those who commit fraud in obtaining unemployment benefits.
Under current law, the penalties max out at $500 and 90 days in jail.
Under the bill, which now goes to the guv, there would be four tiers of penalties.
The first tier, in cases where the value of any benefits obtained doesn’t exceed $2,500, would increase the possible fines to up to $10,000 or up to nine months of imprisonment, or both. The second-through-fourth tiers would then trigger Class I, H and G felony charges.
