LANSING – With Michigan's unemployment rate rising to 14.1 percent and tens of thousands of workers at risk of exhausting their unemployment benefits, State Representatives Lisa Brown (D-West Bloomfield) and Vicki Barnett (D-Farmington Hills) today called on the Senate to act on a House plan that will capture $138 million in stimulus funds to extend unemployment benefits for workers who enter into retraining or vocational programs in order to upgrade their skills and re-enter the workforce.
"Michigan workers need our support now more than ever," Brown said. "The longer the Senate delays action, the longer our workers miss out on the training they need to land good-paying jobs. We can't allow partisan politics to prevent our hard-working citizens from getting the benefits that will help them get back on their feet."
The House passed the plan in early May to use federal stimulus funds to provide an additional 26 weeks of unemployment benefits for workers who are enrolled in a retraining program that prepares workers for jobs in high-demand fields. Under this program, workers will be able to complete their training and move back into the workforce.
The stimulus dollars would cover funding for workers in retraining for at least the next two years. If the plan is not passed, Michigan will lose the $138 million in federal assistance at a time when it continues to lead the nation in unemployment. In May, Michigan's unemployment rate was 14.1 percent – the 29th month in a row it led the country.
According to the Unemployment Insurance Agency, more than 99,000 residents are at risk of seeing their unemployment benefits run out by the end of the year.
"Leaving these federal dollars on the table while Michigan workers and families are suffering is not an option," Barnett said. "These funds will jumpstart Michigan's economy by helping workers move into 21st century jobs available now. We need to act, and act quickly, in order to ensure that Michigan's struggling workers don't fall through the cracks."