The Michigan Legislature on Wednesday approved the use of $880 million of Michigan’s federal dollars to help residents and support the safe and sensible reopening of the state.

The coronavirus outbreak has affected families, schools, local governments and businesses across Michigan. State revenues are down, but my colleagues and I in the Legislature are working to use federal funding to help assist shortfalls here in Michigan.

Senate Bill 690 would provide $880 million in federal funding to assist those harmed by this virus both physically and economically.

The bill includes $100 million to keep Michigan’s small businesses open and residents employed and $43 million for schools to help with the cost of plans to restart school in the fall. The funding can be used to cover current costs of personal protective equipment for staff and help with distance learning costs.

The Senate is committed to getting Michiganders back to work and ensuring our schools and students are not adversely affected by budget shortfalls.

Also included is $15 million to support farms and agricultural processors to make sure our food supply remains safe; $200 million for local governments for public health and safety costs related to COVID-19; $100 million dedicated to hazard pay for local public safety officers who have remained on the job during this crisis; $2.5 million to replenish the Hospitality Employee Fund to help restaurant workers who have been adversely affected by COVID-19 closures and may not eligible for full unemployment benefits; and $125 million to reduce the cost of child care for families and help child care facilities remain open.

The federal government has given Michigan more than $3 billion to help combat coronavirus — but the governor has not yet deployed those emergency funds to help Michigan residents. This funding will help our local communities that have been economically hurt by the coronavirus, help people get back on their feet, and provide much-needed resources for those who have risked their well-being as they remained on the front lines battling this pandemic.

The supplemental also provides funding to address the lackluster response to the coronavirus by the state’s unemployment agency.

The legislation includes language I originally introduced to immediately hire additional temporary workers to the Unemployment Insurance Agency in an effort to assist with the massive backlog and poor service. The supplemental now includes $29 million for additional temporary workers.

The state’s unemployment agency has been overwhelmed, and Michigan residents are unfairly paying the price. The system was not prepared to handle the number of unemployment claims caused by the stay-home orders.

SB 690 now goes to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for consideration.

Privacy is a core essential value embraced in our United State Constitution and echoed in our Michigan Constitution, recognizing that citizens in a republic require privacy in their ”persons, houses, papers and effects.” Today, most of our papers are in electronic form, but they are no less sensitive and have the right to be protected.

That’s why my colleagues and I in the Senate unanimously supported Senate Joint Resolution G, which would clearly define in the Michigan Constitution that electronic data and communications are property and are exempt from search and seizure without a warrant.

SJR G now heads to the House of Representatives for consideration. If the House approves the resolution by a two-thirds margin, it will be placed on the next statewide general election ballot.

The breach of the Edenville Dam, subsequent failure of the Sanford Dam and the extreme flooding that resulted from both brought destruction and misery to the communities of Edenville, Sanford, Midland, Saginaw and surrounding areas. Many people have lost their homes and livelihoods to this disaster, and we must understand what led to these tragic events.

Last week, a joint hearing of the Senate’s Environmental Quality and Energy and Technology committees heard testimony from the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) Director Liesl Clark regarding the recent failures of the Edenville and Sanford dams in mid-Michigan.

The joint committee hearing looking into this disaster was only the first of more such hearings to come. The people affected by these tragic floods deserve answers, and we will continue to work with EGLE and others to find out what happened and what needs to be done to prevent this from happening again.

Summer in outdoor Michigan means family campfires and cookouts, especially as our state parks and campgrounds start to reopen. Yet it’s also a key time for wildfires.

To ensure fire safety, the DNR reminds campers and other outdoor enthusiasts to never leave a fire unattended; always keep a shovel, metal bucket and water source nearby; build a fire in a fire ring; and douse the fire thoroughly with water, repeating until cool, when the fire is finished. More information is available on the DNR’s fire safety page at www.michigan.gov/DNREducation; click on Fire Safety.

As governments continue to ease restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, the burden of managing risk is shifting to people.

Experts have advised people for months to wear masks, wash their hands and stay 6 feet apart, but now that some public places are reopening, individuals must decide for themselves which ones to continue to avoid and which ones pose little risk.

Topping the list for the riskiest public places are bars, gyms and sports and music concerts. On the bottom of the list for least risky public places are tennis courts, takeout restaurants, gas stations and libraries and museums.

Read the full list here.

Michigan’s multi-departmental Unemployment Insurance Fraud Task Force of state and federal agencies is collaborating to investigate and prosecute unemployment fraud and bring criminals to justice. Members are also partnering to ensure legitimate claimants receive the benefits they deserve and protect Michiganders from unemployment identity theft.

To prevent potential fraud and respond to nationwide attacks on unemployment systems across the country, the agency announced last week that it used the latest available fraud prevention information and sent a “stop payment” notice to around 340,000 active accounts. Over the last week, the UIA was able to validate more than 140,000 legitimate accounts, with benefits resuming within days. Working with fraud experts and law enforcement, the agency continues to use data analytics and direct outreach and to identify legitimate claimants and release benefits as quickly as possible.

Criminal Investigations

Task Force members are actively engaged in identifying, locating and prosecuting criminals suspected of unemployment fraud. Actions include:

The UIA has received more than 50,000 reports from individuals reporting unemployment fraud and identity theft in their name through its website since March 15, 2020, with more 40,000 sent since May 1, 2020. The agency will continue to work with Task Force members in its investigation of these reports.

Executive Order 2020-124 – Temporary enhancements to operational capacity, flexibility, and efficiency of pharmacies.

Additional information on the governor’s executive orders and other state news can be found here.