(Lincoln, NE) -- Governor Pete Ricketts is ending Nebraska participation in the $300 a week federal pandemic unemployment benefits program.
During a Monday morning coronavirus update, Governor Ricketts announced that he had signed an executive order that had suspended previous executive orders made during the pandemic. Ricketts also said that the Department of Labor is ending the $300 federal COVID-19 benefit, citing the low percentage of unemployed Nebraskans. He also said the extra benefit could dissuade Nebraskans from seeking work.
Ricketts also ended all state-directed health measures, effective at 11 p.m. Monday. The withdrawal from the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program is effective June 19. Nebraskans who filed for jobless benefits last week will receive the extra $300.
Since March 6, 2020, when the state recorded its first case of COVID-19, “Nebraskans did what they always do: The take care of their neighbors. They do the right thing,” Ricketts said. But now was a time to “return to normalcy. Let’s start reconnecting with things that made us ‘The Good Life.’”
(Photo by WOWT 6 News)