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Seven Tennessee residents filed a lawsuit against Gov. Bill Lee for stopping federal unemployment benefits earlier this year.
Lee withdrew from the benefits program in early July – more than two months before it expired. Tennessee was one of many states to make the move, citing it as an obstacle to economic growth after a sluggish year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Weeks later, some families say they are fighting without benefits, the Tennessean reported. The families claim in the lawsuit that they applied for hundreds of jobs, most of them unanswered.
File-This November 10, 2020 file photo shows Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee speaks with reporters in Nashville, Tennessee (AP Photo / Mark Humphrey, File)
The lawsuit, filed in Middle Tennessee District Court on Monday, asks the court to order Lee to immediately reverse his earlier decision and return to the program. Tennessee reverted to state-funded benefits, which distribute about $ 275 per week, and the federal program reportedly added an additional $ 300 per week.
Several states that have opted out of the benefits program have already faced legal action, with residents of Indiana and Maryland winning their cases. Cases in Ohio, Oklahoma, Florida and Texas are ongoing, FOX 17 News reported.
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“Winning gives us some hope that we can win too because we have similar laws,” said Dee Bowen, mom and member of the “Tennesseans Against Ending Benefits Early” Facebook group.
Blackburn indicated nearly two weeks ago that he would go ahead with the lawsuit, saying he had seen people who suffered from circumstances – physical disabilities, for example – that limited their ability to work.
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“This program has served as a lifeline for thousands of Tennessians who remain affected by the pandemic,” wrote Nashville lawyers W. Gary Blackburn and Bryant Kroll. “Thousands of Tennesséens, who already had difficulty paying for their housing even with the help of federal allowances, have already lost these allowances and are facing the loss of protections provided for by the moratorium.”
Tennessee benefits saw residents receive payments of just under $ 300 per week.
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“We will no longer participate in federal pandemic unemployment programs because the people of Tennessee have access to more than 250,000 jobs in our state,” Lee said in a statement. “Families, businesses and our economy thrive when we focus on great jobs and abandon short-term federal solutions. “
However, FOX 17 News reported that the number of available jobs only increased in the last month, now standing at around 270,000 openings.
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A spokesperson for Lee’s administration told the local branch that the governor “is focused on helping Tennessee residents find meaningful employment and move away from short-term federal solutions. He doesn’t. is not expected to change “.
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