“Given the scandal that the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency has faced, I am pleased to see that the agency has a new director that can help solve the problems regarding false allegations of fraud and the unauthorized release of personal information. However, I don’t think we should stop with Michelle Beebe when it comes to importing unemployment practices from Utah. That state offers a full 26 weeks of benefits, as opposed to Michigan’s 20 weeks; Utah’s benefits provide families nearly $500 a week, while Michigan’s $362 a week is 40th in the nation; and while Utah asks those who received overpayments to pay a 100 percent penalty, Michigan imposes a 400 percent penalty, by far the highest in the country. I wish Ms. Beebe luck in her new role, and I hope she changes course with the struggling agency by pursuing policies that put working families first.”
