The Senate Democrats have successfully passed Senate Bill 227, introduced by Senator María Elena Durazo (D.), with a vote of 30-7. The bill will now proceed to the Assembly for approval. If enacted, this legislation aims to provide undocumented individuals with unemployment benefits for a maximum period of 20 weeks, provided they fulfill certain minimal work criteria.

Under SB 227, officials managing the unemployment fund would be prohibited from requesting the social security numbers of claimants to determine eligibility or contacting their past or current employers to verify their employment status. Instead, applicants would be required to declare themselves eligible for weekly checks by meeting specific requirements: earning a minimum of $1,300 or working at least 93 hours within a three-month period. Acceptable forms of documentation could include tax returns, transaction logs from payment apps, or receipts demonstrating a consistent commuting pattern.

While it is anticipated that the Assembly will approve the legislation, Governor Newsom has yet to disclose his intentions regarding signing it into law.