ATLANTA – Georgia House Minority Whip David Wilkerson (D-Powder Springs) today issued a statement in regards to the recent lawsuit filed by The Southern Poverty Law Center and Bondurant, Mixon & Elmore LLP against the Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) for delays in processing unemployment claims:
“The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many economic hardships for my unemployed constituents. In response to their financial hurdles, I drafted House Bill 583, which would require the Department of Labor’s commissioner to disclose the amount and status of unemployment claims to both Republican and Democratic leaders in the House and the Senate. Language from House Bill 583 was incorporated into Senate Bill 156, which would create a chief officer position to assist the Department of Labor commissioner in handling the large amounts of unemployment claims.
“SB 156 passed with bipartisan support, but the bill was vetoed by the governor, arguing that the legislation would violate the separation of powers. However, the problem remains as unemployed Georgians wait months for answers to their unemployment claims.”
Representative David Wilkerson represents the citizens of District 38, which includes portions of Cobb County. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 2010 and currently serves on the Rules, Ethics, Budget and Fiscal Affairs Oversight, Juvenile Justice, Retirement and Science and Technology committees.
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