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Governor Gretchen Whitmer has signed a $106 million COVID-19 relief bill.
The measure will provide grants of up to $20,000 to small businesses across the state that need support this winter, and grants of up to $40,000 each for live music and entertainment venues.
It also includes $45 million for direct payments to workers who have been laid off or furloughed as a result of the virus.
The governor also signed a bill that keeps the temporary extension of Michigan’s unemployment benefits at 26 weeks through March.
Whitmer lined out a $220 million transfer of general fund money into the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund.
Michigan Republican Party Chair Laura Cox seized on that to accuse Whitmer of vetoing the unemployment benefits extension, but Whitmer says it won’t affect benefits…
The Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund is an employer-owned pool of money that helps businesses pay for their obligations under Michigan’s unemployment law.
Whitmer said enough money has already been allocated to fund the unemployment benefits extension through March, and that general fund money should be allocated for such services as providing vaccines and PPE for health care workers.
Republicans say there was language in the bill that would negate the extension if the $220 million was removed. Democrats say there wasn’t.
Whitmer again called on the legislature to make the 26-week unemployment benefits window permanent. The benefit term had been rolled back to 20 weeks during the Rick Snyder administration.
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Whitmer signed more than 80 other bills into law yesterday. Among them…
• Children registering for kindergarten or first grade for the first time will need to undergo a dental exam.
• Municipalities will be allowed to store some documents digitally, and dispose of the paper originals.
• A Michigan Propane Commission will be established to oversee propane development and use. State Senator Ed McBroom sponsored that.
• Veterinarians are allowed to consult with clients about use of cannabis for medical treatment for their pets. That bill was sponsored by Hancock Republican Representative Greg Markkanen.
• County road commissions may now finance the purchase of real or personal property over a 30-year period. That’s another Markkanen bill that was designed to help the Keweenaw County Road Commission pay for a new maintenance garage. Until now, road commissions were limited to 15-year financing.
