Which States Have Ended Supplemental Federal Unemployment Insurance?

June 8, 2021 update: The state of Maryland will end its participation in the federal supplemental unemployment benefits program on July 3rd.

In response to April’s jobs numbers, 25 Republican governors, thus far, have set an end date to their states’ participation in the federal supplemental unemployment benefits program, established under the American Rescue Plan (H.R. 1319). Montana became the first state on May 4 to opt-out of the federal program designed to give workers displaced by the economic shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic an additional $300 per week of unemployment insurance through Labor Day. 

 Currently, all states choosing to opt out of the supplemental federal unemployment insurance are controlled by Republican governors and legislatures. Wisconsin Republicans introduced legislation (WI AB 336 & WI SB 354) to end their state’s participation in the federal program. In Maryland, where Democrats have supermajority control over the legislature, Governor Larry Hogan (R) proposed reinstating work search requirements for those receiving the supplemental insurance. 

 Some governors have instituted alternative ways to encourage unemployment insurance recipients to return to workplaces. Arizona, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oklahoma are each offering a one-time return-to-work bonus ranging from $500 to $2000 for workers who are hired either part-time or full-time at a job. The one-time bonuses would replace the supplemental insurance provided under the federal program. 

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