LANSING – In order to provide more help to Michigan's struggling working families, State Representative Robert Dean (D-Grand Rapids) today urged the U.S. Congress to extend federal unemployment benefits for workers who have lost their jobs in Michigan's struggling economy.
"Michigan workers are going through some extremely tough times due to our struggling economy, and are barely making ends meet through no fault of their own," Dean said. "As we work to create good-paying jobs now and improve our economy, we must support our workers who have lost their jobs to downsizing and outsourcing, and are struggling with the highest unemployment rate in the nation."
The U.S. Congress is considering legislation that calls for unemployment benefits to be extended by up to 20 weeks in most states. States with high unemployment rates – including Michigan – would see unemployment benefits extended an additional 13 weeks. Michigan residents currently get up to 26 weeks of unemployment benefits. The plan in Congress could provide unemployment relief for Michigan workers who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own for up to 59 weeks.
A resolution was introduced in the Michigan House today urging Congress to approve the federal extension. The resolution was adopted on a vote of 106 to 0.
With jobs hard to come by, the unemployment rate in Michigan has been hovering around 7 percent for months. Over the past year, 156,000 Michigan residents have exhausted their unemployment benefits and another 72,000 are expected to exhaust theirs in the first half of this year, according to a June 7 article in The Detroit News.
"Many workers have nearly exhausted their unemployment benefits and are struggling to provide their families with necessities like food and medicine," Dean said. "The federal government needs to help support our workers during these trying economic times. I urge my colleagues in Congress to follow our lead and pass this plan quickly."