LANSING – With Michigan's unemployment rate at 14.1 percent and tens of thousands of workers at risk of exhausting their unemployment benefits, State Representatives Kathy Angerer (D-Dundee) and Kate Ebli (D-Monroe) 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.
"As our state continues to suffer the highest unemployment rate in the country, we have to do everything we can to help our residents get back on their feet," Angerer said. "Many Michigan workers have lost their jobs through no fault of their own, especially through outsourcing and downsizing. These workers deserve the chance to learn new skills so they can get jobs that are available now and provide for their families. The Senate needs to think about our workers, not about politics, and pass this plan."
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.
More than 99,000 residents are at risk of seeing their unemployment benefits run out by the end of the year, according to the Unemployment Insurance Agency.
"Rejecting this federal funding means rejecting one of the best ways to support our workers during these tough times," Ebli said. "Many unemployed residents could find jobs in high-demand fields if they could go through a training program, but they have to be able to put food on the table at the same time. The Senate has the power to provide this opportunity, and I urge them to do the right thing, right now."