Governor Doug Ducey today announced Arizona will no longer accept the federal government’s $300 per week payments for unemployed workers affected by the pandemic. He’s one of a dozen Republican governors to do so recently.
The payments end July 10th, and will bring Arizona’s weekly unemployment benefit back to 240 dollars, the second lowest rate in the nation. Ducey says those eligible for the state’s Back To Work bonus will receive a one-time payment of $2,000 for returning to work. They’ll be compensated once they’ve left the state unemployment insurance program and completed at least 10 weeks of work with an employer. The state put a 300 million dollar cap on funding the bonuses and Ducey’s office says they’ll be distributed on a “first-come, first-serve basis.” More than 240,000 Arizonans were unemployed as of January this year.
