Kentucky has announced they will give a bonus to unemployed people in an effort to get them back to work. The plan was met with skepticism from some lawmakers who called the bonus an insult to those people who continued to work during the pandemic.
Governor Andy Beshear said the $1,500 bonus will be given to Kentuckians who re-enter the workforce between June 24 and July 30 and would go to the first 15,000 claimants who get a job.
The $22.5 million program comes from federal coronavirus funds and is similar to programs in Maine and Colorado.
Beshear said certain qualifications must be met in order to qualify.
click to download audioIn addition to the bonus, Beshear said he will continue the extra $300 a week benefit for those unemployed who cannot find work. Those benefits are scheduled to expire on September 6. Beshear calls that benefit vital to the state’s economy.
click to download audioKentucky House Speaker David Osborne released a statement Thursday that called the $1,500 bonus “extremely insulting to those who have worked throughout this pandemic.” He added there are more than 100,000 available jobs, some that are offering starting bonuses, which should be bonus enough.
Beshear said the new bonus program won’t solve all of the ills of the jobless problem created by the pandemic.
click to download audioThe state labor cabinet said over 76,000 people were unemployed and actively seeking work in May.
