LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Tuesday, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed Senate Bills 886 and 991, which codify part of her executive orders expanding unemployment benefits to Michiganders.
According to Whitmer, the bills will extend unemployment benefits for Michigan residents who have lost work as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic from 20 to 26 weeks until the end of the year.
Both Senate Bills 886 and 991 were sponsored by Senator Ken Horn (R-Frankenmuth).
“No Michigander should have to worry about how to put food on the table or pay their bills, especially during a global pandemic,” Whitmer said in a statement. “These bipartisan bills are an important step in providing immediate relief for working families, but given the recent rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Michigan, I urge the legislature to take further action to make this permanent. 40 states, including all of our neighbors, automatically provide at least 26 weeks of unemployment relief. Michiganders deserve better than a short-term extension that expires at the end of the year. It’s time to work together on a long-term solution for working families.”
Whitmer adds that while the bills codify the majority of her executive orders on unemployment, the legislature failed to extend the governor’s efforts to speed up claim processing by allowing UIA to review only a claimant’s most recent employer separation.
As a result, UIA must now evaluate every job a worker has left in the past 18 months, which Whitmer’s office says is a waste of resources because employers are not being directly charged for benefits paid at this time.
“When we get back to session I look forward to taking up our bills to expand unemployment benefits and create stronger pathways to get Michigan families the resources they need during a pandemic,” said Rep. Darrin Camilleri (D-Brownstown).
The news of this unemployment extension comes after uncertainty was cast on payouts for displaced employees.
That concern was a result of the Michigan Supreme Court striking down Whitmer’s Executive Orders and later denying an extension period, which meant those receiving unemployment could lose benefits.
Since March 15, Governor Whitmer’s administration has paid over $25 billion in benefits to 2.2 million workers.
