Cooper to honor end of federal jobless benefits in North Carolina

The Center Square – Gov. Roy Cooper said Tuesday he would accept the end of enhanced federal unemployment benefits in the state when they expire on Labor Day.

Cooper said it was too late for the state to modify the benefits ahead of Sept. 6, when they are set to expire. Lawmakers must fill in the gaps to help workers, he said.

“It’s critical that we get people vaccinated,” Cooper said during a Council of State meeting. “It is critical that we invest in quality child care, which has put so many parents in the middle here of having to take care of their children at home and wanting to go to work.”

Cooper made his remarks in response to a nudge from State Treasurer Dale Folwell, who urged the governor to “honor” the expiration date or let the panel of state officials vote on his decision not to honor the end of the aid.

Republican state lawmakers passed legislation in late June that would have ended the federal aid, but Cooper vetoed the bill. Twenty-six other states opted out of the programs before the deadline.

Folwell said North Carolina is facing an employment crisis. Many employers, including the state, are having a hard time filling positions, he said.

“What’s so disconcerting to people of all races, all creeds and all colors across North Carolina, they were saying the same thing, and that is that they cannot continue to pay into a system that forces them to compete against other federal benefits by taxing them and the workers who are there, and use that money to pay those that aren’t working,” Folwell said.

Federal unemployment programs have paid additional employment benefits to workers since March 2020. North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Division of Unemployment Security has paid $12.7 billion in unemployment benefits to workers since March 15, 2020. Only $1.9 billion of those benefits were regular state unemployment compensation.

The federal programs paid an additional $100 to $300 weekly to unemployed workers. One program also extended benefits to workers after they maxed out state benefits. Under state law, unemployed workers can get up to 13 weeks of benefits in one calendar year and a maximum benefit of $350 a week.

Cooper called the state’s program Tuesday “the shortest and stingiest unemployment benefits systems in the country.”

Disclaimer: This content is distributed by The Center Square