Statewide Iowa — A lawsuit has been filed against the governor for ending the extra federal unemployment payments early.
Attorney Jeff Carter represents four people who are suing saying Iowa’s unemployment law prevented the governor from taking the action.
The benefits were to extend into September, but the governor ended them in June, saying Iowans were not seeking work because unemployment paid them more than what they would make at their jobs.
The unemployment rate has inched up slightly but Iowa Workforce Development says the number of people seeking work has also increased.
Carter is seeking class-action status for the lawsuit as he believes there could be as many as 50-thousand Iowans who were impacted.
Iowa joins nearly a dozen other states in seeking temporary restraining orders to restore unemployment benefits. Carter says Iowa’s law is one of the strongest.
The governor’s spokesperson, Pat Garrett, issued a statement in response to the lawsuit. “The governor believes that we cannot continue to pay able-bodied people to stay home. Since the decision was made and announced in May, we have seen a 175 percent increase in people seeking employment at IowaWORKs offices and Iowa’s labor force participation rate has continued to rise. This was not only the right decision, but also in accordance with the law and this lawsuit has no merit.”
