TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Rep. Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando) and Senator Bobby Powell Jr. (D-West Palm Beach) on Wednesday filed legislation that would make major changes to Florida's unemployment system.

The measure will be considered when this year's Florida Legislation begins its session in March.

Difficulties registering for and qualifying for unemployment benefits have been a major source of frustration for Floridians who have lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic, with many claiming they could not access the system or were rejected and could not reach anyone to get an explanation.

"The system was designed to fail, and it did so epically," Eskamani said during a virtual meeting to explain the legislation.

Major proposals of House Bill 207/Senate Bill 592 include:

• Raising weekly benefits to $500 for those who qualify for unemployment, up from the current $275
• Increasing the maximum eligibility period from 13 weeks to 26
• Requiring the Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) to provide at least two other methods for residents to apply for assistance, in addition to the existing ways of submitting the unemployment application online or by mail
• Opening up eligibility to self-employed workers
• Creating an oversight committee over the DEO, which is in charge of Florida’s unemployment system

“We've seen the Connect system [the online site used to register for employment] continue to cause so much stress for everyday people, payments being delayed, forcing folks into economic restraints that could've been prevented if we had a functioning upgraded modernized system," Eskamani said.

Eskamani pointed out that some legislators had pushed for a special session to address Florida's problems with its unemployment system but that their requests had been rejected.