Tens of thousands of workers across Connecticut are being asked to pay back unemployment money that the Department of Labor says they shouldn't have gotten in the first place.

In some cases, those bills are over $10,000 and counting. Many of the funds were spent to survive through the pandemic.

As the DOL tries to recoup over $8 million in overpaid benefits, some workers who benefited from unemployment over the pandemic are seeing big bills from the state Thursday in their mailboxes.

Democratic lawmakers held a press conference Thursday to call on their colleagues to act.

Rep. Julie Kushner says the DOL does offer waivers for overpayments due to gross negligence, but if you know how to apply for one.

Labor attorney Eric Brown says his clients have only received waivers for a few months of payments, and that is when they receive them at all.

He says without aid or forgiveness from state lawmakers, some workers will be left with a bill for thousands of dollars they don't have.

Lawmakers are not proposing any specific bills just yet. They say they're meeting with the Dept. of Labor next week.