East Michigan News

State Representative Jerry Neyer has urged the Michigan House to prioritize legislative reforms aimed at improving government program efficiency and transparency. This call follows a recent audit by Michigan’s nonpartisan Office of the Auditor General, which scrutinized the state’s Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) for fraud and improper payments during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The audit focused on the Investigations Division of the UIA, revealing significant shortcomings in identifying imposter claims and recovering payments from January 2020 to October 2022. It identified $245.1 million in potentially improper payments made to ineligible individuals, with no action taken by the UIA to evaluate these transactions.

"The reports crystallize troubling instances where the state fell short," said Neyer, representing Shepherd. He emphasized that those most affected were individuals unable to receive timely benefits and job providers whose contributions were misused on fraudulent claims. "These failures are unacceptable and a clear example of government waste. We need real reforms so that people aren’t let down again."

Neyer advocates for legislative action on House Bills 4369-74, designed to reform the unemployment agency by increasing transparency, preventing fraud, and enhancing customer service for unemployed workers and employers funding the system. He stresses that addressing issues within the UIA should be a bipartisan priority as lawmakers reconvene.

"This requires legislative action and protections being put into law for the people," Neyer stated. "People have heard promises from UIA before about improving things and the agency has continued to be plagued by problems. People are calling on their elected officials to act. The Legislature needs to do it."