Signed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to concur with senate substitute and pass a bill that extends unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Highlights:

• Limits the total amount that may be obligated by the unemployment agency during a fiscal year to an amount that does not exceed the amount by which the aggregate of the amounts credited to the nonchargeable benefits account during the fiscal year and the 24 preceding fiscal years, exceeds the aggregate of the amounts obligated by the unemployment agency (Sec. 17-8).

• Specifies if any base period or chargeable employer has contributed to the financing of a retirement plan under which the claimant is receiving or will receive a retirement benefit yielding a pro-rata weekly amount equal to or larger than the claimant’s weekly benefit rate as otherwise established under this act, the claimant is not eligible to receive unemployment benefits (Sec. 27.a).

• Specifies an individual is considered to have left work involuntarily for medical reasons if he or she leaves work to self-isolate or self-quarantine in response to elevated risk from COVID-19 because he or she is immunocompromised, displayed a commonly recognized principal symptom of COVID-19 that was not otherwise associated with a known medical or physical condition of the individual, had contact in the last 14 days with an individual with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 (Sec. 29.a).

• Extends unemployment to the individual if they left their work for the following reasons (Sec. 29.a):

• The individual has an established benefit year in effect and during that benefit year leaves unsuitable work within 60 days after the beginning of that work;

• The individual is the spouse of a full-time member of the United States Armed Forces, and the leaving is due to the military duty reassignment of that member of the United States Armed Forces to a different geographic location;

• The individual is concurrently working part-time for an employer or employing unit and for another employer or employing unit and voluntarily leaves the part-time work while continuing work with the other employer; or

• The individual is a victim of domestic violence

• Prohibits an individual from receiving benefits for any week or part of a week in which the individual has received, is receiving, or is seeking unemployment benefits under an unemployment compensation law of another state or of the United States (Sec. 29-10).

Full Bill Text