Whitmer wants to use COVID money to fund $15 wage

Governor Gretchen Whitmer wants to use $300 million in federal COVID relief money to help businesses boost their minimum wage to $15 per hour.

The proposal is part of a plan the governor hopes will help Michigan’s economy. Called the Michigan Economic Jumpstart Plan, it would use $1.15 billion dollars to raise wages, fund childcare, and assist businesses with operational costs. The funding comes from stimulus money and a state budget surplus.

In order to raise wages, Whitmer proposes to create a state grant program to cover the difference between current wages and $15 per hour. The current minimum wage is $9.65 per hour.

The grant program would last three months and businesses would have to promise to keep wages the same for at least three months afterward.

Other funding would go to provide tuition money for students 25 and older and frontline workers. Other parts of the plan would provide assistance to restaurants and other businesses affected by the pandemic.

You can read more on Bridge Michigan.