Judge blocks Hogan's plan to pull Maryland out of federal unemployment program
Source: Washington Post
A Baltimore circuit court judge ruled Tuesday that hundreds of thousands of jobless workers in Maryland must continue to receive federal unemployment benefits, a major defeat for Gov. Larry Hogan (R) who wants to pull the state out of the federal program. Judge Lawrence Fletcher-Hill granted a preliminary injunction in lawsuits filed by two organizations representing unemployed workers that challenged Hogan over the early termination of the enhanced federal aid.
In his ruling, Fletcher-Hill said the plaintiffs showed that they would suffer “irreparable harm” if the preliminary injunction were not issued. Fletcher Hill held a day-long hearing on Monday in the case. During the hearing, Maryland Labor Secretary Tiffany Robinson, who is a defendant, testified that she was notified late Friday by the Biden administration that the state would have to give 30 days notice to stop the benefits. That means the benefits will continue until at least mid- August without any court action.
At least 25 states led by Republican governors have decided to end the enhanced federal benefits, which Congress created to cushion the blow of the pandemic and funded through Sept. 6. The additional federal aid, which is $300 a week on top of state unemployment benefits, allows people who lost jobs in Maryland during the pandemic to apply for mixed earners unemployment compensation, pandemic emergency unemployment compensation and pandemic unemployment assistance, which helps gig workers and others who usually would not qualify for aid. Under Hogan’s order ending the enhanced federal aid, people collecting unemployment also would have to again prove they are looking for work.
The state estimates that 250,000 people have qualified for the benefit in Maryland. The lawsuit in Maryland is among about a handful that have been filed across the country. Last month, a judge ordered a preliminary injunction in a case in Indiana. A Texas judge rejected a request for a temporary injunction in a similar case. Monday’s ruling in Maryland is the latest action on the legal challenge that was filed against Hogan and Robinson.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/maryland-unemployment-judge-hogan-injunction-/2021/07/13/81f7ed5a-e3db-11eb-8aa5-5662858b696e_story.html
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