Wisconsin Legislature votes to end extra unemployment
Published
MADISON, Wis. - The Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature voted Wednesday, June 9 to eliminate a $300-a-week federal bonus for unemployed people, a measure that Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has made clear he s likely to veto.
The federal payment, approved to help the unemployed during the coronavirus pandemic, is scheduled to end on Sept. 6. Twenty-five other states have already approved ending it early, saying it has exacerbated worker shortage problems.
That s the argument that Republicans, state and local chambers of commerce, trade groups and others made for passing the bill in Wisconsin, saying some people getting the equivalent of $16.75 an hour on unemployment are choosing to stay home. Evers last week voiced support for the $300 payment, saying those who advocate abolishing it don’t have any evidence that it’s behind the worker shortages.