Michigan Votes Forum

Introduced in the House on June 9, 2011

Click here to view bill details.

 Although the idea shows compassion, when does it show a disregard to the basic premise of unemployment compensation, which is unemployed. Being employed, even as a voluteer, and recieving just pay is the same as having any job and recieving just pay. When is this going to end, as long as you are considered a voluteer worker, police, teacher, nurse, you can get paid off the book and recieve unemployment pay. The best call is no to all of the above. 

 

I don't understand how one can be paid $10,000 or more a year and still be classified as a "volunteer".   If one is being paid for time or services, according to Michigan law it is INCOME and by definition, one is not a volunteer. That being said, I also don't understand why, in Michigan, we continue to create different classes of people and our laws apply to some classes and not others. If it's a good law, it should be applied to everyone.

In fact, this law should apply to everyone - Income received up to $10,000 from any source, in any consecutive 12 month period, will not be considered when determining Unemployment Compensation.  Since employers pay for unemployment compensation, would this cost the taxpayers any more?

It's great to hear that. This way perhaps we'll get the chance to see more volunteer fire fighters, our communities need their services so much. This is the right thing to do for them, they do so much more for us.