LANSING – With jobs scarce for Michigan workers in the State’s still-struggling economy, Oakland County Democrats today announced a package of bills that would increase unemployment benefits and extend benefits by 13 weeks when the State’s unemployment rate reaches 5 percent.
 "Working families built this state and we need to stand up for them during rocky economic times," said State Representative Marie Donigan (D-Royal Oak), who sponsored a bill in the package that would round unemployment benefits up to the nearest dollar. "We’ve heard too many stories of CEOs giving themselves lavish bonuses and compensation packages while our workers are left holding the bag. We need to stand up for working families, and this legislation helps us do that."
 The Democratic legislation would:
 ·        Extend unemployment benefits by 13 weeks when unemployment reaches 5 percent;
 ·        Increase the weekly unemployment benefit to a maximum of $408 from the current $362 and tie future increases to inflation;
 ·        Increase the weekly benefit allowance for a dependent from $6 to $20 per week;
 ·        Increase the multiplier that determines benefits from 4.1 percent to 4.4 percent and increase the multiplier used to calculate the number of weeks a worker can receive benefits from 43 percent to 45 percent of the base period wages; and
 ·        Round unemployment benefits up to the nearest dollar. Benefits currently are rounded down.
 "Even with the rise in the cost of living, unemployment benefits have remained stagnant," said State Representative Aldo Vagnozzi (D-Farmington/Farmington Hills). "We have to help working families stay afloat after they get laid off."
 Michigan’s unemployment benefits were last increased in 2002 from $300 to $362. If benefits had kept pace with inflation during that time period, unemployed workers would have received a maximum of $396 this year and a maximum of $408 in 2006.
 "It's the children of workers who will pay the price if their parents can't make ends meet," said State Representative Paul Condino (D-Southfield). "This package will give families the support they need as they seek new employment."