Michigan lawmakers approve extension of unemployment benefits, new nursing home rules

The process, especially finding common ground on bills that protect employers against lawsuits, was a struggle.

The measures come as Republicans fight Whitmer and her fellow Democrats on a number of fronts. From calls to mandate masks and ban guns at the statehouse to House Speaker Lee Chatfield questioning why the governor did not tell him or others about the specifics of a thwarted kidnapping plot, the possibility of collaboration appeared fraught heading into Tuesday's session.

Rep. Beau LaFave, a Upper Peninsula Republican who announced in late September he'd tested positive for COVID-19, joined several of his colleagues in not wearing a mask on the House floor. West Michigan Democratic Rep. David Lagrand wore a mask and a bullet-proof vest, the bulk clearly visible through his dress shirt.

Yet the need for any legislation is significant, underscored by recent Michigan Supreme Court rulings that effectively ended Whitmer's executive orders aimed at curtailing the pandemic and its impact.

As of this week, more than 130,000 residents have tested positive for the disease caused by the coronavirus. Hundreds of thousands of residents have applied for unemployment assistance, with thousands of businesses also seeking financial aid.

At the end of the long day, the House and Senate passed a series of bills with three issues taking center stage -- unemployment benefits, nursing homes and legal protections from pandemic-related lawsuits for businesses.

One measure, SB 886, extends to 26 weeks the amount of unemployment insurance available this year due to a job loss related to COVID-19. That was the same amount of time available under the governor's executive order -- this bill also clarifies that the state can't re-examine any unemployment claim based on it being filed under an executive order now deemed invalid.

The bill also loosens the requirements a business would need to meet in order to institute a work share program, an initiative that reduces employee hours but avoids mass layoffs.

The updated measure passed unanimously in both chambers.

Another bill, SB 1094, would require state health officials to examine COVID-19 policies at nursing homes and how they have been implemented. Although a portion of the bill states no patient who tests positive for COVID-19 may be sent to a nursing home, a different portion of the legislation states a nursing home may take a patient with the virus if the home has a state-approved area within the facility for people with the disease caused by the coronavirus.

But the real fight hinged on measures that would provide a liability shield for businesses and a quirky Senate procedural move.

More: Bills OK'd by Michigan House protect employers from COVID-19 lawsuits

More: Michigan lawmakers debate: Who's at fault if you catch the coronavirus?

A series of House-led legislation provides legal protections for businesses against lawsuit filed related to the pandemic. Republican supporters say they wanted to provide peace of mind and assistance for businesses that do the right thing and are still sued. Opponents, including Whitmer, say the legislation goes too far in the protections offered.

Republicans looked to strengthen their negotiating position with the legislative maneuver taken in the Senate. The upper chamber took action last week that essentially connected the fates of the unemployment and liability bills.

While the move was not unprecedented, it was a sign legislative leaders knew the governor wanted to support the unemployment bill and opposed the liability measures.

On Monday, Whitmer told reporters she hoped House lawmakers would undo the maneuver, known as a tie-bar.

“I think it’s really important that we’ve got unemployment protections for the hundreds of thousands of Michiganders whose benefits are in the balance as a result of the Supreme Court decision," Whitmer said.

"These were benefits that I was able to extend, but with the court’s decision they now hang in the balance, and while the Legislature has to play an important role, I’m hopeful they’ll break that tie-bar so I can sign it in to law and we can fix this post-haste.”

The liability measures passed on largely partisan lines.

More: Michigan health department issues sweeping COVID-19 regulations that mirror Whitmer orders

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The House also passed a resolution giving subpoena power to a special committee created to look at the state's response to the pandemic. The Joint Select Committee on the COVID-19 pandemic has held several contentious meetings with administration officials. Committee leaders were particularly perturbed about a controversial contract that was awarded and then rescinded by the Whitmer administration -- several people involved in the awarding of the contract have refused to attend committee meetings.

The legislative action comes in the wake of recent rulings from the Michigan Supreme Court that effectively invalidated the governor's emergency orders issued to slow the spread of the pandemic.

The court ruled 4-3 that the Emergency Powers of Governor Act of 1945, which Whitmer has been using as the major legal underpinning for her emergency orders is unconstitutional because it cedes powers that belong with the Legislature to the governor. The court also ruled that under the Emergency Management Act of 1976, Whitmer cannot maintain a state of emergency beyond 28 days without legislative approval. That approval expired at the end of April, and has not been renewed.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services issued several orders that largely mirror the health and safety mandates previously imposed by the governor. But the orders do not address extensions of unemployment insurance.

Whitmer must still sign the measures passed for them to become law.

Staff writer Paul Egan contributed to this report.

Contact Dave Boucher at [email protected] or 313-938-4591. Follow him on Twitter @Dave_Boucher1.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan lawmakers approve extension of unemployment benefits, new nursing home rules

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