TALLAHASSEE, Fla.– Governor Rick Scott has signed legislation into law that strengthens the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s efforts to fight fraud in the state’s Reemployment Assistance program. Both the Florida House and Senate unanimously voted for this bill, which provides DEO access to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles’ DAVID System, including the state photo identification database. Sen. Kelli Stargel and Rep. Mike LaRosa sponsored the legislation.

Cissy Proctor, Executive Director of the Department of Economic Opportunity, said, “Thank you to Governor Scott for signing this bill into law so quickly. We are proud of our daily efforts to stop criminals from fraudulently stealing Reemployment Assistance benefits from Florida job seekers who need help getting back to work. We appreciate the Governor and his support in passing this important bill. Now, DEO will have access to more tools that are critical in our fight against public benefits fraud.”

The legislation includes the tools and legal authorizations that are critical to prevent and fight public benefits fraud by providing DEO access to the driver’s license database to confirm claimant-provided IDs are not fraudulent.

About DEO

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity combines the state’s economic, workforce and community development efforts. This new approach helps expedite economic development projects to fuel job creation in competitive communities. For more information, including valuable resources for employers and job seekers, please visit www.floridajobs.org.

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