Governor announces Mississippi will opt out of pandemic unemployment benefits

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AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves said Monday the state will not accept additional federal pandemic unemployment benefits.

Montana, South Carolina and Arkansas have also taken similar actions to ease workforce shortages.

“The purpose of unemployment benefits is to temporarily assist Mississippians who are unemployed through no fault of their own,” Gov. Reeves said. “After many conversations over the last several weeks with Mississippi small business owners and their employees, it has become clear that the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and other like programs passed by the Congress may have been necessary in May of last year but are no longer so in May of this year.”

“Therefore, I have informed the Department of Employment Security to direct the Biden Administration that Mississippi will be opting out of the additional federal unemployment benefits as early as federal law allows – June 12, 2021. It has become clear to me that we cannot have a full economic recovery until we get the thousands of available jobs in our state filled. I have also directed MDES to prioritize pre-pandemic enforcement of all eligibility requirements for any individual to receive unemployment benefits under state law. Mississippi is open for business.”

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