Improvements to unemployment insurance are silver lining in lame duck cloud

A version of this blog was originally published in Michigan Advance

2024 didn’t end with the bang many in Lansing hoped it would. Instead, any bang was more like a car engine backfiring: a lot of noise and potentially damaging. The drama and pageantry of Michigan’s lame-duck legislative session dominated our news feeds and left many advocates disappointed in the process. Many reading their news feeds would understandably be left with the impression that the government is ineffective and perhaps even powerless to help improve their conditions. 

However, beneath the chaos, there is a more complex story. One that tells us, in spite of all of the setbacks and bluster, progress can be made.

For years, Michigan’s unemployment system has been among the worst in the Midwest. We have offered the lowest amount of benefits and fewer weeks, and we invest less in our unemployment insurance than our neighboring states. In fact, Michigan hasn’t adjusted the maximum weekly benefit since 2002, leaving it at just $362 per week. Yet amongst the legislative chaos, all of this changed. A package came together that is set to increase the maximum weekly benefits to $614 over the next three years and increase the maximum number of weeks an unemployed individual can claim benefits from 20 weeks to 26 weeks. The bills, some of very few bright spots to come out of the lame-duck session, will bring Michigan’s benefit duration in line with the 39 other states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico that provide 26 weeks or more of unemployment benefits.

While the unemployment system has often received some negative attention, it is critically important for Michigan workers—especially those working in construction and manufacturing who often face layoffs during economic downturns.

Growing up, my family mostly worked in construction and HVAC. When the economy slowed down and people stopped building, layoffs were almost guaranteed. Economies take time to recover and these jobs don’t instantly return. I saw family members exhaust unemployment benefits and be forced to take jobs that paid less than the one before.

The extra weeks of unemployment benefits provided by Senate Bill 40 give Michiganders more time to find employment after they have lost a job through no fault of their own, so maybe they won’t need to take a pay cut and can find a job that better provides for their families. The increase in benefits will further help families pay the bills without having to dip into retirement and other savings.  

It is hard to overestimate the impact the changes to unemployment benefits will have on Michigan workers. However, it wasn’t just the unemployment insurance system that saw meaningful progress during lame duck.

Senate Bills 205-207 and House Bills 4062-4063, the latter of which was passed out of the House but is still currently awaiting the governor’s signature, represents a potentially massive win for Michigan renters. These bills enshrine source-of-income protection for Michigan renters seeking to pay their rent through non-wage sources of income. This means landlords with five or more units cannot reject tenants who seek to pay rent through Housing Choice Vouchers, veteran’s or social security benefits. These protections would make secure housing more accessible to families with low incomes, veterans and retired individuals. This is critically important now more than ever with the rapidly rising cost of rent.  

In a time when push notifications feed us headlines of absent legislators, social media gives us bite-sized clips of government at its worst and algorithms leave us doom scrolling, it’s important to look at what is happening around the chaos and see the silver lining. When we do, we see people; whether they are legislators, advocates or simply those closest to you working every day to promote the common good and improve the lives of those around them.

There will always be those who are self-serving and those who look for sound bites to feed the algorithm, but as we return from the holidays to a divided Legislature, it is important to take a deeper look. Look beyond the drama and distractions and see what meaningful change is possible. If legislation such as the unemployment insurance package and source-of-income protections can be passed amongst the chaos that was lame duck, maybe more positive change is possible in 2025.