Whitmer signs $106M COVID-19 relief bill, extends jobless benefits

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a bipartisan relief bill this week that includes $55 million in grants for small businesses hit by COVID-19 and $45 million in direct unemployment payments for those laid off or furloughed as a result of the coronavirus.

The bipartisan package offers grants of up to $20,000 for small businesses that need support this winter, as well as grants of up to $40,000 for live music and entertainment venues.

Whitmer also signed bipartisan Senate Bill 604, sponsored by Sen. Curtis Hertel, D-East Lansing, which extended unemployment benefits from 20 to 26 weeks until the end of March.

Since March, about $27 billion in unemployment benefits have been paid to nearly 2.3 million workers. In signing the latest bills, Whitmer said she also line-item vetoed a $220 million “giveaway of taxpayer money” to the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund — a pool of funds designed to help businesses fund benefits for laid-off workers. Whitmer said that cash should be used for vaccines and personal protective equipment and not “tax breaks to big businesses.”

President Donald Trump also signed a COVID-19 relief bill Sunday extending benefits to self-employed and gig workers, adding $300 to weekly unemployment checks. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked Tuesday an effort by Democrats to up federal stimulus checks from $600 to $2,000.

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A three-week campaign to vaccinate about 91,000 residents and staff at skilled nursing home facilities began statewide Tuesday. Additional priority facilities — like assisted living, personal care, residential care, adult family and adult foster homes — will receive vaccines in January.

As part of efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus, all vaccinators are required to adhere to strict testing protocols. The pharmacists themselves will also be required to be vaccinated.

State officials still urged residents this week to continue wearing face masks, practicing social distancing. Health officials in Michigan have set a goal of vaccinating 70% of the population (about 5.6 million people) by the end of 2021. All vaccines require two doses and will be provided at no cost, though providers may still charge administrative fees. Mild side effects can include a low-grade fever, a sore arm and general discomfort — all signs the vaccine is working.

About 231,000 doses have been sent across Michigan. Another 120,000 are expected to arrive next week. To date, more than 37,000 frontline healthcare workers have received a vaccine.

Next in line for the vaccine will be those over the age of 75 and frontline essential workers in fields designated as “critical infrastructure. The following phase includes those at high risk of severe illness and some other essential workers whose employment impacts public safety.