By Jessica Mathews/News@whmi.com


Governor Gretchen Whitmer has signed a bi-partisan relief bill to provide support for families, frontline workers, and small businesses.

The relief bill includes $55 million to help small businesses impacted by COVID-19. Grants of up to $20,000 will be made available to small businesses across the state that need support this winter. The relief bill also includes $3.5 million for grants of up to $40,000 each for live music and entertainment venues, and includes $45 million in direct payments to workers who have been laid off or furloughed as a result of the virus. The governor also signed the bi-partisan Senate Bill 604 extending unemployment benefits from 20 to 26 weeks until the end of March.

When signing the relief bill, Whitmer stated she had to line-item veto any items that were not subject to the negotiated agreement with the Legislature. That included what she described as a $220 (m) million giveaway of taxpayer money to the employer-owned Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund.

At a press conference, the Governor stressed the veto will not impact individual workers. She commented that general fund dollars have to be used to fund essential services like vaccine and PPE – not to give tax breaks to big businesses right now. Whitmer added that the Unemployment Insurance Agency has also provided more than $900 million in tax breaks to help businesses impacted by COVID-19.

The governor urged the legislature to return to work in January and pass a permanent extension of unemployment benefits and an increase in weekly benefits - saying Michiganders deserve better than a short-term extension that expires in March. Whitmer further urged the federal government to pass a relief bill that includes $2,000 stimulus checks.