Providing Relief to Working Families
As our state continues to battle its way through the COVID-19 pandemic, Michigan’s working families need meaningful relief more than ever. Michigan House Democrats are committed to addressing our communities’ most immediate needs by:
- Passing the Good Jobs for Michigan Program to give Michigan businesses the crucial tools they need to create and retain good-paying jobs right here at home. Pfizer was the first Michigan business to utilize the program to create 450 new jobs at their Portage drug manufacturing plant, which went on to produce and ship the first doses of the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine across the nation.
- Permanently Extending Unemployment Benefits for displaced workers from 20 weeks to 26 weeks to give them and their families the financial security and peace of mind they need and deserve.
- Providing Food Assistance to Michigan families in need. As of 2019, one in eight Michigan residents received food assistance – a figure that continues to grow due to the COVID-19 pandemic. More assistance means more Michiganders can afford to keep food on the table for themselves and their families.
- Delivering Rental Assistance to keep Michigan residents safe, healthy and in their homes.
- Creating the Office of Rural Development to address the most urgent needs facing rural communities – including access to broadband, talent, infrastructure and more, as well as additional grants to support land-based industries.
- Offering Property Tax Assistance by waiving penalties and interest for certain property owners who did not pay their Summer 2020 property taxes due to hardships created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Developing Michigan Talent by connecting unemployed and underemployed Michigan residents with the training and resources they need to find the career that is right for them. This program through the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity will prioritize residents from underserved or economically distressed communities to jumpstart Michigan’s energy sector transition.
- Establishing Wraparound Services for Single Parents Returning to School through the MI Reconnect and Futures for Frontliners programs. This pilot program would include on-campus childcare, intensive personalized advisement, educational supports including tutoring, career counseling and assistance in transitioning to a 4-year school program.