Senate Bill 444 Summary

• Amends Michigan's unemployment insurance law to increase the dependent allowance from $6.00 to $20.00 per dependent (maximum 5) for benefit years beginning October 1, 2000, and raises maximum weekly benefit rates from $300 to $362.

• Changes training benefit eligibility from 18 weeks to 26 weeks of benefits for individuals satisfactorily pursuing vocational training or retraining after exhausting regular benefits.

• Clarifies that individuals participating in approved vocational training or workforce development programs are not disqualified from receiving unemployment benefits and are waived from work-seeking requirements.

• Modifies various statutory language from "shall" to "is" throughout sections 27 and 28 for technical corrections.

• Updates references to federal law citations and includes provisions for seasonal workers, school bus drivers, and educational institution employees regarding benefit eligibility.