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 Jon Switalski (D-Warren) and Sarah Roberts (D-St. Clair Shores) 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.
"Many Michigan residents are out of work and, in this tough economy, we can't let them down," Switalski said. "We have to invest in our hard-working residents and ensure they have the training they need to transition into good-paying jobs that are available now. Now is not the time for partisan politics – we must all stand by the workers who are at the front lines of our nation's economic crisis."
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, after which the Legislature will decide whether or not to continue to program. 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 consecutive month 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.
"Right here in Macomb County, our workers are taking the brunt of the economic downturn and the struggling auto industry," Roberts said. "As plants continue to close down, more and more residents are seeing their jobs downsized or even outsourced. We simply can't turn our back on our residents or this important funding opportunity. I urge the Senate to help our displaced workers get back on the job by passing this plan."