FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, Dec. 12, 2005
Contact: Dan Farough
Phone: (517) 373-2093
LANSING - With jobs scarce for Michigan workers in the state's still-struggling economy, House Democrats today announced a package of bills that would increase unemployment benefits and extend benefits by 13 weeks when the state's unemployment rate reaches 5 percent.
"Many people lost their jobs when it wasn't their fault," said State Representative LaMar Lemmons III (D-Detroit). "For example, General Motors, Ford and Delphi are planning massive layoffs next year. These job cuts will be a devastating blow for many families and the state has to be there to support them."
The Democratic legislation would:
- Extend unemployment benefits by 13 weeks when unemployment reaches 5 percent.
- Increase the weekly unemployment benefit to a maximum of $408 from the current $362 and tie future increases to inflation.
- Increase the weekly benefit allowance for a dependent from $6 to $15.
- Increase the multiplier that determines benefits from 4.1 percent to 4.4 percent and increase the multiplier used to calculate the number of weeks a worker can receive benefits from 43 percent to 45 percent of the base period wages.
- Round unemployment benefits up to the nearest dollar. Benefits currently are rounded down to the nearest dollar.
Michigan's unemployment benefits were last increased in 2002 from $300 to $362.
"While the cost of living has increased, unemployment benefits have remained stagnant," Rep. Virgil Smith (D-Detroit) said. "We have to help our workers stay afloat as they search for new employment."
"We have to make sure our workers aren't forced into poverty when jobs are too hard to find," Rep. Gabe Leland (D-Detroit) said. "We must help our workers in these tough economic times."
"We have workers struggling to make ends meet so they can provide for their children and families," said Rep. Steve
Tobocman (D-Detroit). "These workers built Michigan into America's manufacturing leader. Keeping them out of our poverty
as our manufacturing economy transitions
is the least we can do."
"People who lost their jobs through no fault of their own should have a strong safety net under them and the state
has to provide that net,"
Rep. George Cushingberry (D-Detroit)
said. "We have to be there for our workers when they fall in hard economic times."
"We have many, many workers who have been laid off or who are going to be laid off soon," Rep. Bill McConico (D-Detroit, Highland Park, Hamtramck) said. "We must have a stronger system in place to help these workers as they try to make ends meet."
"With more and more people losing their jobs for longer periods of time, we need to extend unemployment benefits so that parents can better take care of their families," Sen. Hansen Clarke (D-Detroit) said.