Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday signed a budget bill that will fund a federal $300-a-week unemployment benefit, flood cleanup costs in the Midland area and Michigan’s contribution toward a project to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes.
The $2.8 billion in spending is almost entirely federally funded.
It is unclear how long the supplemental $300 weekly jobless benefit will last. It is less than a $600-a-week payment that expired but still more than what people typically get from the state.
The new law also includes $8 million to facilitate the further development of the Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet, Illinois. The facility is considered a choke point where electric barriers, air bubbles and underwater noisemakers could be used to scare away the invasive fish.
There also is a $6 million match for disaster cleanup in Midland and Gladwin counties following the failure of a dam in May, and $3 million for flood response and mitigation efforts in the city of Detroit.
