MI HB4405

Allows low-wage school employees earning less than the federal poverty level for a family of 4 to collect unemployment benefits during summer months and between academic terms, removing the current restriction that denies benefits to instructional, research, and administrative staff with reasonable assurance of returning work

Extends the same unemployment benefit eligibility during academic breaks to non-instructional school employees (such as custodians, food service workers, and bus drivers) at both K-12 schools and institutions of higher education

Updates gendered language throughout the Michigan Employment Security Act, replacing terms like "husband or wife," "brother or sister," and "his or her" with gender-neutral alternatives such as "spouse," "sibling," and "the individual's"

Renames the "unemployment agency" to "unemployment insurance agency" throughout the amended section

Maintains existing benefit calculation formulas and maximum weekly benefit rates established by 2024 PA 173, including the phased increases through 2028 with Consumer Price Index adjustments thereafter