Getting unemployment checks to people on time matters; without those small checks, those who have lost their jobs may fall farther behind on utilities or rent, putting them at risk of being homeless. Everybody knows that, right?
Well, apparently lawmakers in Tallahassee are too far removed from such mundane problems to care, the Tampa Bay Times says in an editorial. Last week, two Senate committees unanimously confirmed Jesse Panuccio as head of the Department of Economic Opportunity, even though he presided over a chaotic mess in the fall as DEO brought the $63 million CONNECT computer system online.
Computer glitches happen. But Panuccio denied there were problems for months, leaving the unemployed without help until federal officials brought in the cavalry, the Times said.
"Tallahassee's Republican-led Legislature talks alot about bringing more accountability to state government," the editorial says. "They should practice what they preach."