Seven States (not Florida) Approved For $300 Federal Unemployment Supplement For The Jobless

From the Florida Phoenix:

By Laura Cassels
August 17, 2020

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, announced Monday that seven states have been approved to receive federal Unemployment Insurance supplement funds under a presidential executive order, but Florida was not one of them.

It was not clear Monday whether Florida authorities intend to apply for the funds, which would draw down $300 of federal funds to add to state-based funds. Gov. Ron DeSantis expressed interest last Tuesday but also caution, saying his legal team is assessing potential legal hazards.

“There’s only so much you can do through executive action [rather than Congressional action],” DeSantis said. “I want to make sure there’s no legal risk for us. If someone was to challenge this, then we’d be left on the hook.”

In Florida, the net state unemployment benefit, based on the number of weeks as well as the amount of $275 weekly, is the lowest in the nation, according to U.S. Department of Labor data analyzed by States Newsroom.

The states approved for federal unemployment supplements of $300 weekly are Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico and Utah.

According to FEMA, states requesting the supplemental funding must demonstrate they are contributing at least $100 of their own, and they may use CARES Act dollars. But DeSantis said he does not support using CARES dollars because they are already obligated in Florida.

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity says more than 1.8 million Floridians have been paid Unemployment Insurance benefits in Florida.

Since March 27, they were eligible for up to $275 weekly in state benefits and $600 in federal benefits.

The federal benefits expired at the end of July.

The U.S. House of Representatives, in the HEROES Act passed in May, voted to extend the $600 benefit through the end of the year. The Senate proposed cutting it to $200 weekly. President Trump, by executive order, temporarily set it at $300 or $400, with a state match. However, the seven states so far, are getting $300 weekly.

The Phoenix contacted the governor’s office and the Department of Economic Opportunity to find out if Florida had applied. But thus far, both offices have not responded.

In an email to the Phoenix from FEMA, the agency declined to say which other states may have applied. FEMA said to ask Florida officials. States have until Sept. 10 to make application.

This story was originally published by the Florida Phoenix. For more stories from the Florida Phoenix, visit FloridaPhoenix.com.