Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Welcome to my latest e-newsletter! Included in this edition are some important COVID-19 and legislative updates, my March coffee hour announcement, and a few resources I hope will prove helpful. And remember, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office by phone at (517) 373-3906 or email at TimSneller@house.mi.gov for questions about this or any other state-level issue.

In This Edition:

  • Contact Sports Resume – Feb. 8
  • Unemployment Update
  • White Shirt Day – Feb. 11
  • FREE Fishing Weekend – Feb. 13-14
  • March In-District Coffee Hours
  • Helpful Resources

Contact Sports Resume – Feb. 8

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) updated its current epidemic order to allow contact sports to resume as of Monday, Feb. 8, provided masks are worn during practices and competition. If masks cannot be worn, participants must be regularly tested for COVID-19 consistent with guidelines issued by MDHHS, which are available online at Michigan.gov/coronavirus. Sports organizers are encouraged to administer a testing program even if it is not required. Safety protocols like wearing masks and testing will help keep kids, coaches and families safe, and allow our schools to remain open for in-person instruction. The order remains in effect through Monday, March 29. 

In addition to the update, MDHHS also created several helpful graphics to explain the changes in the order:

MDHHS has been closely monitoring three metrics for stabilization or declines over the past several weeks, and Michigan continues to see improvements.

Unemployment Update

All remaining Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) claimants whose claims ended when CARES Act programs were interrupted in December can now either reopen, certify or apply for benefits available under the Continued Assistance Act (CAA). Claimants were notified from the UIA with information and instructions regarding the changes.

The CAA allows PEUC and PUA claimants an additional 11 weeks of benefits payable for the week ending Jan. 2 through March 13, 2021. Payments also include the additional $300 Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) weekly benefit.

PUA

  • New PUA claims can now be filed online at gov/uia.
  • PUA claimants who exhausted their original entitlement of benefits prior to Dec. 26, 2020 can also now reopen their claim to receive an additional 11 weeks of benefits, payable retroactively, beginning with the week ending Jan. 2, 2021. Claimants have or will receive notification by email, through their MiWAM account or by mail alerting them to the availability of the additional weeks.
  • A new provision under the CAA requires PUA claimants to submit proof of employment or self-employment to maintain eligibility. For example, claimants need documentation showing their employment or self-employment for the tax year prior to when they filed their original claim for benefits. Individuals who filed their original PUA claim in 2020 need documentation to support employment in 2019. New PUA applications filed in 2021 should include supportive documentation of employment in 2020.
  • Appropriate documents can include tax documents, paycheck stubs, state or federal employer identification numbers, business licenses, business receipts or a signed affidavit.
  • Claimants should not submit this documentation until they receive a notice instructing them where to upload it and the timelines for doing so.

PEUC

  • PEUC claimants who exhausted their previous entitlement will be able to reopen their claim to receive an additional 11 weeks of benefits, payable retroactively, beginning with the week ending Jan. 2, 2021. Claimants have or will receive notification by email, through their MiWAM account or by mail alerting them to the availability of the additional weeks.
  • Workers on regular state UI benefits will no longer receive the PEUC extension automatically. The CAA now requires workers to submit an application. Once a worker has exhausted their state UI benefits, they will need to log into their MiWAM account and click on, “Additional Information Required – click here to file an extension.”

White Shirt Day

I discussed my resolution, House Resolution 31, on the House Floor yesterday to recognize Feb. 11, 2021 as White Shirt Day in the state of Michigan.

Today is White Shirt Day! On Feb. 11th every year, UAW members and retirees wear white shirts to commemorate the anniversary of the end of the Flint Sit-Down Strike and to remind us that management and workers are equally important in the workplace. As a former GM worker and member of UAW Local 598, I’m proud that my resolution to declare Feb. 11, 2021 as White Shirt Day in the state of Michigan was adopted by the Michigan House yesterday. May those first UAW members, with their extreme sacrifice, commitment, and determination, who paved the way for higher pay and improved benefits, know of our admiration and appreciation. To view my floor speech from yesterday, please visit https://housedems.com/tim-sneller/gallery/ and scroll down to the bottom of the page.

FREE Fishing Weekend – Feb. 13-14

The 2021 Winter Free Fishing Weekend is taking place on February 13-14! Residents and non-residents alike can fish Michigan waters that weekend without a license, though all other fishing regulations still apply. For more information, please visit Michigan.gov/FREEFISHING.

Sneller Coffee Hour

March In-District Coffee Hours

Please join me for my first coffee hours of 2021! These in-person, socially distanced coffee hours are free to attend and open to the public. Attendees will have an opportunity to discuss their thoughts and concerns about state government and our community with me directly in an informal setting and I will provide a legislative update. Masks will need to be worn except when eating or drinking.

  • Friday, March 5, from 10-11:30 a.m. at Scotti’s Coney Island, 5522 Lapeer Road in Burton
  • Monday, March 15, from 6-7:30 p.m. at Sam’s Italian Restaurant, 4105 Grand Blanc Road in Mundy Township

I look forward to seeing you at my upcoming coffee hours.

Helpful Resources