Rep. Muxlow hails bills to fight unemployment benefits abuse

Categories: News

Lawmaker: Measures protect taxpayers, job creators

State Rep. Paul Muxlow today applauded a legislative package that reforms Michigan’s unemployment insurance process and protects residents and job creators from fraud, including a bill that denies benefits to a worker who fails or refuses to take a drug test as part of the employment process.

The House today passed House Bills 4949-4954 dealing with a variety of unemployment reform issues. HB 4952 establishes a pilot program that treats a positive drug test or refusal to take a drug test without good cause as a refusal of suitable employment, which disqualifies an individual from receiving unemployment benefits. The drug test is paid for by the employer and reporting is voluntary on the part of the job creator.

“This is common-sense legislation to protect our tax dollars and prevent fraud and abuse in the unemployment insurance program,” said Rep. Muxlow, R-Brown City. “People who are receiving temporary unemployment benefits must be able and available for the work they are seeking, and by refusing to take or failing a drug test, they are not available for that job.”

Rep. Muxlow said job creators, who pay into the unemployment insurance process, deserve to have safeguards such as this in place so they can continue to grow and create more new jobs.

“Our unemployment insurance program must be fair and sustainable, and this package of bills makes that possible,” Rep. Muxlow said. “Many of the jobs that require workers to be drug free do so because the position requires skills that would be compromised by drug use, so this protects other workers at the job site as well.”

The bills now go to the Senate for consideration.