COVID-19 related unemployment extended for Michigan residents

LANSING, Mich (WBUP) -Two bills will extend unemployment benefits for Michigan residents who have lost work as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The bipartisan senate bills were signed today by Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

Senate Bills 886 and 991 were both sponsored by Senator Ken Horn (R-Frankenmuth).

The bills extend unemployment benefits from 20 to 26 weeks.

“No Michigander should have to worry about how to put food on the table or pay their bills, especially during a global pandemic,” said Governor Whitmer in a written statement. “These bipartisan bills are an important step in providing immediate relief for working families, but given the recent rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Michigan, I urge the legislature to take further action to make this permanent. 40 states, including all of our neighbors, automatically provide at least 26 weeks of unemployment relief. Michiganders deserve better than a short-term extension that expires at the end of the year. It’s time to work together on a long-term solution for working families.”