A Franklin County judge expects to make a decision within days on whether to at least temporarily restore the $300 in extra weekly federal assistance for Ohio's unemployed that was recently halted by Gov. Mike DeWine.
"I hope to have a decision by the middle of next week," Common Pleas Judge Michael J. Holbrook said after hearing about 30 minutes of arguments Friday morning from attorneys representing the state and those who filed a filed a lawsuit saying the governor violated Ohio and federal law by cutting off the payments early.
The hearing focused on the plaintiffs' request for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction that would restore the benefit for Ohio's unemployed while the case is litigated.
The funding for the payments comes through the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation relief program, a part of the CARES Act, which was signed into law in March 2020 by then-President Trump and is set to expire Sept. 6.
DeWine, a Republican, decided to stop accepting the federal funding and put an end to the additional payments for Ohioans on June 26.
“When this program was put in place, it was a lifeline for many Americans at a time when the only weapon we had in fighting the virus was to slow its spread through social distancing, masking and sanitization,” DeWine said in May. “That is no longer the case."
DeWine's administration violating Ohio law?
Former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann and Brian Flick of Cleveland-based DannLaw filed the lawsuit. The action initially was filed in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, but was moved to Franklin County last week since the governor's office and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services' Office of Unemployment Insurance are based in Columbus.
More:Ohio lawsuit filed to restore $300 per week in federal pandemic unemployment benefits
The lawsuit argues that DeWine doesn't have the authority to stop accepting the federal funds.
Dann told the judge that if the benefit is restored until it naturally expires on Labor Day, "about $98 million would be pumped into the state economy."
Assistant Ohio Attorney General Julie Pfeiffer, representing the governor's office and the state Department of Job and Family Services, said the contract with the federal government allows the state to withdraw by giving a 30-day notice, which the governor provided to the U.S. Department of Labor.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and National Federation of Independent Business support DeWine's decision, saying in a court filing that ending the $300 a week will reduce labor shortages in Ohio because it eliminates an incentive for workers to collect unemployment.
Similar lawsuits have been filed in other states. Indiana recently reinstated benefits because of a court order.
Reporter Anna Staver contributed to this article.
Jessie Balmert is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Akron Beacon Journal, Cincinnati Enquirer, Columbus Dispatch and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.
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