Raised Bill No. 5270, introduced in the February Session, 2024, proposes an amendment to the general statutes concerning unemployment compensation fraud. The bill seeks to increase the threshold amount for which fraudulent actions in obtaining unemployment benefits are considered a felony. Specifically, the bill replaces the current threshold of $500 with a new threshold of $2000. This means that if a person knowingly makes a false statement or fails to disclose a material fact to influence their unemployment benefits and the amount involved is $2000 or less, the offense would be classified as a class A misdemeanor. If the amount exceeds $2000, the offense would be classified as a class D felony.

The bill also includes a statute of limitations, stating that no person can be prosecuted for a violation of these provisions if the act was committed on or after October 1, 1977, unless the prosecution is initiated within five years after the violation occurred. The changes proposed by this bill are set to become effective on October 1, 2024, and would amend subsection (f) of section 31-273 of the general statutes. The bill has received favorable recommendations from both the Labor and Public Employees Committee and the Judiciary Committee.