LANSING – Less than 24 hours after voting against Michigan’s unemployed workers and leaving $140 million in federal funds that would have gone directly to Michigan workers who cannot feed their families on the table, Senate Republicans again voted against Michigan workers on Thursday by addressing a problem that doesn’t exist.
Senate Bills 612-615 were approved along primarily party lines that address fraud in the unemployment benefits system and penalizes the unemployed who received benefits by mistake. Senate Democrats were upset for a number of reasons, and the bills did not receive a single committee hearing. They were introduced in late May and forgotten until passed by the majority on Thursday as the Legislature took two-week summer break.
“This shows that our priorities are clearly out of step with the needs of people who are struggling out there in Michigan,” said Sen. Hansen Clarke, D-Detroit.” While we are cozy in this air-conditioned chamber, there are people who are struggling just to barely make it. This is another example of how this Legislature is totally out of touch with the needs of people.”
Specifically, the bills would allow the recovery of interest on the amount of improperly paid unemployment benefits, double the amount of damages that may be recovered for fraud and create the "Special Fraud Control Fund" and require amounts recovered for fraud violations to be deposited into this Fund.
Senate Democrats said they support going after fraud, but there is no provision for the state making a mistake, or even the worker thinking he is eligible and receives benefits that later turns out he was not eligible for. It also didn’t address employers who fraudulently try to stop a worker from collecting benefits.
“I didn’t see anything in those bills that was aimed at employers who are fraudulently denying workers unemployment insurance,” said Sen. Ray Basham, D-Taylor. “I had a trucking company in my office the other day in their fight with Treasury over taxes that they were charged. In fact, there was an $80,000 dispute in Treasury who is admitting that they are wrong, but they don’t want to give the money back to the trucking company.
“So if the trucking wants to continue to litigate this, they will have to put up one hundred and something thousand dollar bonds to go after $80,000,” he said.
The bills would also put Michigan out of conformity with federal rules and put us at risk of about $70 million in federal sanctions. But Senate Democrats were more incensed that the bills were rushed out without a single committee hearing just 24 hours after refusing to consider House Bills 4785 and 4786 that would provide unemployment benefits to individuals who are only available for and seeking part-time work and those in an approved job training program who have exhausted their regular benefits. That would make Michigan one of only about five other misguided states to say no to those funds.
“When we are at 14.1 percent unemployment here in the state of Michigan, and we leave $140 million sitting on the table in Washington that we could be using to benefit working families and people who have lost their jobs here in Michigan, I think that is a travesty of what we are sent here to do,” said Senate Minority Leader Mike Prusi, D-Ishpeming.
Because Michigan's largest employer, the auto industry, is losing market share in the national recession, it has the highest unemployment rate in the nation. But, only about half of Michigan’s unemployed workers are currently receiving benefits, according to a report by the Michigan League for Human Services, because they have exhausted benefits without finding a job, they are working part-time or they lost a part-tine job. It’s also estimated that for every $1 of unemployment benefits spent by workers and their families, there is an estimated $2.15 in economic growth.
Prusi said he is angry that he has to go home to the UP during the Legislature’s two-week break where unemployment is even higher than the rest of the state and tell them the only thing the Legislature did was penalize them if a mistake is made. Instead of helping 20 percent of the people, they are going after 2 percent of the people.
“You could have brought home that we are extending your unemployment benefits. You could have brought home we are going to help you get retrained for a job because your job has left and is not coming back. But all you are going to do is say we ended fraud in the unemployment system,” he said. “The very bulk of the people and the very number that is shown 2.5 percent of the people are overpaid in their unemployment benefits, and you are going to go after that 2.5 percent and claim you saved $100 million. That is fraudulent in itself.”
9 comments:
I'm going to refrain from commenting on guru's errors. I think guru deserves a little slack since he must be very upset about the unexpected death of Michael Jackson.
Guru and Michael had so much in common...
Is that the best you've got, you dumb mother fucker?
Believe me, after enduring his cowardly attacks; yes, that is all he’s got.
And the same day as this post all the Michigan Liberals vote yes on the Waxman-Markey climate BULLSHIT Bill.
That should help all these poor people you speak of pay their future energy bills.YOU STUPID MOTHER FUCKERS.
This is Typical Liberal On Obama Koolaid
Good for the liberals who care about future generations and not just what’s in it for them today. It’s good thing the American people saw fit to make them the majority. And thanks for the compliment, brett.
I am happy that the socialist democrats voted for the largest tax increase in American History. They will look like fools.
1. There has been no global warming since 1997.
2. After hearing them say that they agree you don't raise taxes in a recession, they've made themselves into liars.
3. Obama campaigned saying this was not a good bill that it would increase taxes on the American people.
4. This will be another nail in the coffin for the socialist democrats when the next election rolls around in November 2010, and we'll probably see the first effects of that in the Senate election this fall.
5. This will likely trigger more Tea Parties, which will drive the socialist democrats (including the creator of this blog) into another hissy fit. Especially if it makes it through the Senate.
Welcome to your newest commentator on here, Ka-dargo-Insane. I was worried that there would only two of us identified as brett. Now we're up to three. Whoever this brett person is, he must really scare guru.
I have no idea what cap and trade has to do with Michigan Senate Republicans voting against Michigan workers. Put that crap on your blog.
1. Not true. news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/12/1206_041206_global_warming.html
2. They haven’t raised taxes.
3. Simply not true. “As a presidential candidate, Barack Obama said he would tackle climate change by implementing a cap-and-trade system to limit the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.”
http://www.factcheck.org/politics/cap-and-trade_cost_inflation.html
4. Once again, brett, there is no such thing as a "socialist" Democrat in this country, and that is just a fascist talking point. You keep hanging on to that false hope, brett.
5. I’m sure it will trigger more false, “tea parties,” but who cares. They are a small, vocal minority on the fringe. Once again, brett, there is no such thing as a "socialist" Democrat in this country, and that is just a fascist talking point. I have never thrown a “hissy fit.
Yes, I’m terrified, brett. I’m so scared, I’m going to stop posting. Not.
Look - the global warming/climate change debate is in flux. In Australia there is considerable consternation because they were ready to implement their cap&trade, but are now pulling back because the data examined (mostly generated in the US) don't support this kind of dramatic action.
Some Australian lawmakers asked for refuting evidence from the US Govmt but were told that there weren't any additional studies or evidence to be provided.
For many, Gore's movie provides all the direction they need.
Hate to interrupt the irrelevant bullshit with something that actually pertains to the article, but I'm a formerlly underemployed worker in michigan (got laid off when the recession started, then picked back up part time through most of the winter, and am currently barely clinging to 30 hours a week, breaking just about even), and although I haven't drawn underemployment compensation since May, I just got hit with a letter from the Beuro saying that I "intentionally misled the unemployment agency," with a demand of an explanation, for something that I can barely remember, let alone explain. The entire system was incredibly confusing to me, and it looks like I may have made an error, completely by mistake, and now they are going after me for some of their money back? Talk about a kick in the balls...
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