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Governor Whitmer signs $140 million unemployment spending bill

A multi-million-dollar spending bill to support the state’s unemployment insurance system has received the governor's signature.

The $140-million-dollar plan was part of a last-minute spending package the state Legislature agreed to right before going on break last month.

It puts most of that money toward the state’s Unemployment Compensation Fund. That pays for future unemployment benefits.

The new law also funds over 50 new short-term jobs to help the Unemployment Insurance Agency track down fraud.

A state audit last month described how one staffing agency worker had committed nearly $4-million-dollars of fraud during the pandemic.