NFIB Urges OK Supreme Court to Uphold Decision to End COVID-19 Unemployment Supplements Early

Date: July 30, 2021

OKLAHOMA CITY (July 30, 2021) – The NFIB Small Business Legal Center has filed an amicus brief with the Oklahoma Supreme Court in the case of Stewart v. Stitt, supporting the governor’s decision to end federal pandemic-related unemployment benefits early. Click here to read the brief.

“We believe it was well within Governor Stitt’s authority to end the state’s participation in a federally funded program that he has determined discourages some people from reentering the workforce and frustrates Oklahoma’s economic recovery,” said Karen Harned, executive director of NFIB’s Small Business Legal Center.

“The supplemental benefits were essential early in the pandemic when social distancing and other COVID-19 restrictions forced employers to scale back and displaced workers couldn’t find new jobs because no one was hiring,” NFIB State Director Jerrod Shouse said. “One year later, businesses are hiring, but they’re struggling to find enough workers. Ending the additional benefits now would encourage more people to reenter the workforce and enable small businesses and other employers to meet the increasing needs of their customers.”

NFIB’s monthly jobs report showed that 46% of small business owners nationwide reported job openings that could not be filled, which is historically high and above the 48-year historical average of 22%. A record number of employers continue to report that there are few or no qualified applicants for open positions.

The NFIB Small Business Legal Center protects the rights of small business owners in the nation’s courts. NFIB is currently active in more than 40 cases in federal and state courts across the country and the U.S. Supreme Court.

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