The Michigan Senate voted today along party lines to end a 300-dollar extended weekly unemployment benefit to people who lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 crisis. The next step would be for the Republican-controlled House to vote on whether to concur with the Senate.
Republican lawmakers and many business groups say the expanded 300-dollar payment -- on top of existing jobless pay – incentivizes people to wait on returning to the workforce at the same time employers are anxious to hire. Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Democrats say there are other barriers, such as the dearth of affordable childcare for working parents. They say fixing that will get people back to seeking employment.
The Senate vote is largely meaningless because the failure of a procedural vote would keep the measure from taking effect until after the federally funded benefit expires. Also, Governor Whitmer has already said she’d veto the measure.
